Canadian    Lea\^es 


History,  Art,  Science,  Literature,  Ccmh^erce 


A  Series  of  New  Papers 


KUAU    IIKFUKk:     IHK 


Canadian  Club  of  New  York 


Awake,  my  country,  the  hour  of  ili-eHuis  In  done  : 
imuht  not,  nor  ili-ead.  the  Ki'eatncrHx  of  thy  fate." 

IIOBKRTS. 


KDriEU  liv 

(;.    M.    KAIRCHILl).  JR. 
Vice-Pres.  C.  C. 


II.I.ll.SI  KA  I'EU    IIV 

THOMSON    WlLl.INC; 
A.  R.  C.  A. 


NEW  YORK 

NAPOLEON    THOMPSON    &    CO.,     PUBITSHERS 
51  AND  53  Maiden  Lank 

1887 


±OOOD«J 


/i;-^ 


Copyright  1«8H,  by  Napoleon  Thompson  &  Co. 


DEDICATED   TO 

HIS  EXCEL  L  KNC  V 

THE  MARQUIS  OF  LANSDOWNE 

COyEKNOR  GENERAL 

of  the 

DOMINION  OF  CANADA 

AS  A    TOKEN  OF  THE  ESTEEM  IN  WHICH  HE  IS  HELD  HY  THE 
CANADIANS  RESIDENT  IN  NEW  YORK 


PREFACE. 


N  apology  is  not  needed  in  present- 
ing this  work  to  the  Public,  but 
one  is  due  to  the  early  subscrib- 
ers for  the  delay  in  its  appear- 
ance. A  fire  in  the  building 
occupied  by  the  printers  caused 
almost  a  total  destruction  of  the 
printed  sheets  and  necessitated  a  suspension  of  work 
for  some  time. 

It  is  rare  to  find  gathered  into  one  volume  so 
brilliant  a  series  of  original  papers  by  so  many  distin- 
guished authors  and  scientists.  I  feel  a  just  pride  that 
the  pleasant  task  of  editing  them  should  have  fallen  to 
my  lot.  I  have  endeavored  to  give  them  a  setting 
worthy   of  their  value,    and   in   this    laudable  effort    I 


vi  Preface. 

have  been  most  ably  seconded  by  Thomson  VViHing, 
A.  R,  C.  A.,  the  illustrator,  and  by  the  publishers 
Napoleon  Thompson  &  Co.,  both  of  whom  have  spared 
no  pains  to  produce  a  handsome  volume,  pictorially 
and  typographically. 

The  Canadian  Club  of  New  York  is  to  be  con- 
gratulated upon  its  wise  policy  of  having  instituted  a 
winter's  series  of  entertainments  that  are  not  alone 
delightful  reunions  of  Canada's  sons  and  fair  daugh- 
ters, in  voluntar}'  exile,  but  which  have  kept  alive  their 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  our  great  Dominion  of  Canada 
through  the  clever  papers  which  have  been  delivered 
before  the  Club  upon  Canadian  topics, 

G.  M.  FAIRCHILD,  Jr., 

Editor. 


Neui    York, 

December,   iSSj. 


Table  of  Contents. 


PACK. 

Dedication •         .III 

Preface,  ......•••  V 

Table  of  Contents vii 

Errata. ^l" 

The   Future  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada.        ,         .         .  r 

By  EUMLND   Cul-LINS. 

The  Schism   in  the  An^lo-Saxon   Race.       ...  19 

By  GoLuwiN  Smith,  M.  A.,  D.  ('.  1.. 

The  Great  Canadian  North-West 59 

By  Rev.  John  C.  Ecli.esto.n,  D.  D. 
The  Humorous  Side  of  Canadian  History.    ...  93 

By  J.  W.  Bengchcjh,  Kditor  'loronto  (hip. 

The  Heroines  of  New  France. 107 

By  J.  M.  I.KMOINK,    F.  k.  S.  C. 

Literature  in  Canada, i-9 

By  Geo.  Stewart,  Jr.,  I).  C.  1...  K.  R.  G.  S.,  K.  R.  S.  C. 

Echoes  from  Old  Acadia, '45 

By  Prof.  Chas.  (i.  U.  Roberts,  Kings  College,  Windsor,  N.  S. 

Commercial   Union  between  Canada  and  the  United 

States 1/5 

By  lion.  B.  Butterworth,  M.  C. 


"viii  Table  of  Contents. 


PAGK. 


The  Mineral   Resources  of  Canada,  ....     217 

By  John  McDougali.. 

An  Artist's  Experience  in  the  Canadian  Rockies,  .         233 

By  John  A.  Frasek,  R.  C.  A. 

Canada  First, 247 

By  Rev.  GeoR(;k  Grant,  D.  D.,  Principal  Queen's  University. 

The  Advantaijes  of  Commercial  Union  to  Canada  and 

the  United  States, 269 

By  Erastus  Wiman. 

The  Canadian  Club, .     283 

By  G.  M.  Kairchii.I),  Jr. 

Canadian  Club  Officers,  1887, 291 


ERRATA. 

Page  3,  line  5,  for  xclio  seek,  read,  which  seek. 

108,  line  23,  iox  guiding-halloiv,  read,  guiding-halo. 
"       113.     ''    '5>  for  introduced  to  court,  read,  introduced  at 
court. 
Page    1 13,  line  16,  for  ///  ivaiting  of,  read,  in  waiting  to. 
115,     "    20,  for /rtj/A/^,  read  lying. 
"       141,     "25,  transpose  Picturesque    Canada   after  Ocean 
.  to  Ocean. 


ow  ]p[^^e  i^ob|ejMi\-llowloi_^ 
iOo  front- fhe  world  ^Jot^e 


WaR|i***P^|fiWPii**W*WW?^^ 


THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  DOMINION 
OF  CANADA. 


EDMUND  COLLINS. 


An  Address  delivered  before  the 
Canadian  Club  of  Neiv    York. 


OME  of  the  greatest  historians  of  the 
olden  times,  for  the  purpose  of  illus- 
trating a  nation's  greatness,  would 
only  take  into  account  the  number 
of  her  spear's  on  the  land,  and  of 
her  galleys  on  the  sea ;  and  it  must 
be  confessed  that,  even  in  this  age  of 
industry  and  peace,  we  are  not  a  little 
proud  of  our  battalions  and  of  the 

thunder  of  our  turret  guns. 

In  dealing  with  Canada,  we  have  more  substantial  elements 

to  fire  our  eloquence  ;  we  have  her  boundless  acres,  her  limitless 


2  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

forests,  and  the  exhaustless  treasures  of  her  rriines  and  seas. 
Under  the  Confederation  immense  strides  have  been  made  in 
national  development,  and  this  I  think  ought  to  be  a  guarantee 
for  the  future. 

But,  after  all,  there  are  several  gentlemen  in  Canada,  who 
are  not  satisfied  with  the  Union.  Indeed,  at  very  frequent 
intervals,  some  patriot  who  has  failed  in  the  pulpit  or  at  the 
bar,  who  has  brought  a  country  school  into  disrepute,  or 
added  to  the  population  of  a  graveyard,  arises  among  his 
countrymen,  and  declares  that  the  Confederation  must  be 
smashed.  The  intensity  of  his  eloquence  on  such  an  occasion 
will  be  commensurate  with  his  wants.  If  he  is  able  to  scrape 
along  at  all,  he  will  not  be  very  fierce,  and  will  receive  no  great 
attention ;  but  if  there  is  neither  brief,  nor  school,  nor  pulpit, 
nor  consumptive  in  sight,  he  rises  to  the  very  highest  pitch  of 
patriotism,  and  some  admiring  organ  of  public  opinion  puts 
an  "extra"  at  his  disposal.  If,  in  the  experience  of  Dr. 
Johnson,  "patriotism  was  the  last  refuge  of  a  scoundrel,"  in 
ours,  treason  is  the  first  refuge  of  a  patriot. 

I  presume  that  those  who  hear  me  are  not  unaware  that 
Nova  Scotia  has  lately  passed  resolutions  affirming  a  desire 
for  separation,  and  there  is  a  rumor  in  the  air  that  New 
Brunswick  wants  to  get  adrift.  I  do  m*t  ^believe  that  these 
ideas  will  prevail ;  but  they  have  undermined  faith  in  the 
solidity  of  the  Union,  and  Castle  Garden  receives  the 
immigrant.  It  is  no  harm,  however,  to  sin  against  the  State. 
If  you  libel  an  individual,  or  decry  his  enterprise,  the  law  will 
look  after  the  matter ;  but  assail  the  country  whose  institutions 
protect,  and  whose  kindly  breast  sustains,  and  the  Governor 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Cominerce.  j 

will  select  you  as  his  chief  adviser  or  his  Secretary  of  State. 
For  my  part,  instead  of  providing  cabinet  oflfices,  I  should 
prepare  the  cat  and  the  pillory. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting,  if  not  precisely  cheerful,  to 
enquire  about  the  fate  likely  in  store  for  the  provinces  who 
seek  separation,  in  the  event  of  the  possibility  of  their  release. 
In  spite  of  the  wealth  which  they  boast  of,  to  me  they  seem  to 
stand  up  on  the  very  verge  of  pauperdom.  Enjoying  the  felicity 
of  independence  and  isolation,  each  one  would  be  a  Lazarus 
at  the  gates  of  the  Empire.  We  know  very  well  that  the 
expense  of  house-keeping,  in  Nova  Scotia  and  in  New  Bruns- 
wick, is  greater  than  either  province  is  able  to  bear ;  and  either 
one  or  the  other  is  always  found  at  Ottawa,  with  a  threat  or  a 
prayer  upon  her  lips,  asking  for  still  "  better  terms."  Let  us 
suppose  one  of  these  provinces  cast  adrift.  Her  only  sources  of 
income  would  be  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  and  lease  of  her 
timber  and  mineral  lands,  and  the  toll  of  the  custom-houses. 

To-day  Nova  Scotia  is  almost  completely  stripped  of  her 
forest,  and  the  area  of  woodland  in  New  Brunswick  is  rapidly 
diminishing;  and  if  there  is  but  little  income  from  the  mines 
for  the  individual,  there  would  be  less  for  the  public  treasuries. 
The  ship-yards  are  idle,  and  must  remain  so  from  now  until 
the  end  of  time;  nor  is  there  any  industry  in  sight  or  in  the 
distant  future.  Under  the  terms  of  confederation  a  sum  of 
80  cents  per  head  is  set  apart  from  the  Dominion  treasury, 
and  to  hope  that  this  amount  could  be  made  up  under  the 
regime  of  divorce,  from  the  little  provincial  custom-houses,  is 
mere  delusion.  For  the  lack  of  responsible  guarantee,  the 
obligations  of  these  provinces  would  go  begging  in  the  money 


^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

market.  Capital  and  immigration  would  pass  by  their  doors, 
and  they  would  become  the  paupers  of  the  Empire. 

It  is  the  custom,  among  certain  people  in  the  East,  when 
famine  afflicts  the  land,  to  enter  the  temples  and  belabor 
with  clubs  their  favorite  idols.  As  the  timber  becomes  scarce, 
and  revenue  falls  off,  these  good  people  by  the  sea  wax  fierce 
in  their  denunciation  of  taxes,  as  if  the  most  weighty  and 
unjustifiable  tax  of  all,  tliat  on  coal,  were  not  merely  main- 
tained as  a  sop  to  them. 

However,  it  may  be  said,  once  for  all,  that  Nova  Scotia 
and  her  sister  will  be  saved  from  themselves.  For  there  is  no 
road  leading  out  of  the  Union. 

If,  in  discuss"-".g  the  prospects  of  Canada  in  general,  I 
may  be  allowed  to  confine  a  few  more  observations  to  the 
maritime  provinces,  I  should  say  that  I  believe  their  manifest 
local  destiay  to  be  maritime  union.  To  superintend  about 
a  million  and  a  half  of  public  business,  they  have  three  petit 
kings,  three  houses  of  Commons,  and  at  least  two  houses  of 
Lords  ;  while  in  number  the  judges  and  chief  justices,  to  borrow 
a  fantastic  comparison,  are  as  the  stars  of  the  heaven.  But  let 
alone  the  fact  that  each  province  requires  a  legislature,  a 
governor,  a  cabinet  and  a  standing  army  of  officials,  to  transact 
half  a  million  dollars  of  business,  there  must  needs  be  in 
addition  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  presenting  arms,  firing 
salutes  and  decking  out  in  uniforms  and  cocked-hats. 

I  have  heard  many  speeches  delivered  from  those  very 
provincial  thrones  at  the  opening  of  the  legislature,  and  have 
noted  some  of  their  items.  There  is  always  a  paragraph  having 
reference  to  Providence  and  the  harvests;  and  this  seems  to  be 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  avd  Commerce.  5 

quite  fitting,  for  the  harvests  are  about  the  o.\\y  matter  in  their 
poHtical  economy  in  which  the  hand  of  Providence  is  to  be  seen. 
In  New  Brunswick,  I  once  listened  to  one  of  those  pretentious 
speeches  from  the  throne  wherein  this  passage  occurred,  the 
most  important  one  of  the  whole  communication  :  "  During 
the  year,  my  Government  have  given  earnest  attention  to  the 
affairs  of  the  husbandman,  and  the  improvement  of  stock ;  and 
to  this  end  have  effected  the  importation  of  a  superior  breed 
of  sheep."  I  turned  to  the  itemized  public  accounts  and  found 
that  the  numerical  strength  of  the  importation  consisted  in  six 
animals.  Imagine  putting  on  a  cocked-hat  and  a  sword  to 
announce  that  a  Government  had  brought  in  Canada  six  ewes 
and  rams. 

To  sum  up  the  matter,  one  capable  business  man  could, 
without  governor  or  cabinet,  without  volunteer  or  the  firing  of 
rusty  cannon,  effectually  transact  the  whole  affairs  of  the  thre 
petty  provinces  by  the  sea.     I  think,  therefore,  that  the  conch 
sion  any  sensible  man  would  arrive  at  in  this  connection  wt 
be  that  these  provinces  ought  and  must  rid  themselves  by  f. 
one-half  of  their  present  expensive  administration.     This 
be  accomplished  by  a  maritime  union,  which  would  give  for 
three   provinces  one  lieutenant-governor,  one  legislature  ar 
but  one  army  of  official  dependents  instead  of  three. 

An  outsider  listening  to  one  of  the  maritime  statesme 
would  assuredly  hear  him  talk  of  retrenchments ;  hear  him  ciph' 
how  much    the  Lieutenant-Governor  squanders  in  paint  at 
coal-oil,  and  naturally  would  ask  himself  why  in  thunder 
mention  is  made  of  the  larger  items?     He  would  scarcely  h  xx 
a  word  about  maritime  union,  because  maritime  union  w(  jid 


6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

be  the  death  of  fully  one-third  of  the  professional  politicians. 
But,  suppose  this  part  of  the  difificulty  removed,  there  would 
still  be  in  the  background  the  burning  question  :  "  Which 
province  is  to  have  the  seat  of  government?"  Nova  Scotia 
would  rather  pay  two  dollars  in  civil  expenditure,  where  only 
one  is  needed,  than  that  **  The  Island,"  or  New  Brunswick 
should  be  able  to  say  that  she  was  the  home  of  the 
government.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  so  long  as  the 
question  remains  in  its  present  shape,  the  three  pinched  provin- 
ces will  go  on  maintaining  their  overwhelming  system  of 
magnificence  and  expenditures. 

There  is,  I  think,  one  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  and 
although  I  have  elsewhere  indicated  the  way,  I  may  be 
permitted  to  once  more  refer  to  it.  A  few  years  ago,  when  a 
teacher  made  application  for  a  school  in  a  back  district,  the 
great  difficulty  in  his  way  was  the  question  of  where  to  board. 
The  thought  that  oae  settler  should  monopolize  the  honor  and 
the  profit  of  his  domiciliation  was  in  itself  odious,  and  the 
matter  was  finally  settled  by  his  consenting  to  "  board  round  the 
deestrict."  Are  we  to  infer  from  this,  that  if  the  government 
of  these  three  little  united  provinces  would  consent  to  "  board 
round  the  deestrict,"  the  greatest  obstacle  to  maritime  union 
would  be  removed. 

Before  discussing  the  governmental  alternatives  left  to 
Canada,  we  must  preface  our  remarks  by  stating  that  the 
political  atmosphere  should  first  be  made  purer  if  we  desire  to 
contemplate  with  pride  the  future  of  the  country.  There  are 
now  in  public  life  in  Canada  some  good  men  ;  men  who  earnest- 
ly strive  to  use  their  talent  for  the  general  good :  but,  after  all, 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  y 

such  Wcitiiy  ones  are  few.  For  the  greater  part,  politics  are  in 
Canada  what  they  are  in  the  United  States,  one  of  the  lowest 
of  all  the  games  that  offer  success  to  ability  devoid  of  honor. 
The  best  men,  and  the  most  thoughtful  among  them  in  either 
country,  are  not  to  be  found  in  political  life ;  such  men  shrink 
from  the  ordeal  which  is  the  lot  of  the  political  candidate. 
The  successful  men  are  generally  those  who  are  popular  in  the 
billiard-room,  liberal  in  treating  at  the  bar,  or  foremost  on  the 
turf  or  lucky  in  the  gambling  pool.  As  a  rule  too,  these  men 
are  without  means  and  of  no  social  standing ;  they  are  devoid 
also  of  education  and  of  the  knowledge  indispensable  to  com- 
petently help  in  the  making  of  laws.  If  a  man  enters  public 
life  without  fortune  and  stripped  of  all  honorable  ambition,  it  is 
deadly  certain  that  his  chief  aim  is  to  further  his  own  interests. 
Given  an  unscrupulous  politician  at  the  head  of  government, 
and  he  will  buy  these  men  as  a  butcher  buys  a  flock  of  sheep. 
It  is  true  that  these  men  give  a  semblance  of  patriotism 
to  their  movements  by  allying  themselves  with  a  party ;  but 
this  party  has  become  a  machine,  and  the  harm  that  the 
machine  does  to  public  interests  and  public  morals  is  greater 
even  than  could  be  accomplished  by  loose  fish  who  held 
themselves  aloof  from  either  side.  I  take  it  for  granted  that 
there  is  a  splendid  opportunity  in  store  for  young  men  in 
Canada,  provided  they  stand  aloof  of  the  machines  and  take 
as  their  watchword,  not  Protection  or  Free-Trade,  but  the 
purification  of  public  life.  I  say  the  young  men,  because  the 
older  ones  have  already  suffered  themselves  to  be  bound  to  the 
wheel,  and  to  the  end  will  go  sinning  for  the  party  rather  than 
bring  upon  their  brilliant  names  the  reproach  of  "  turncoat." 


I?  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

I    affirm     without    dread  of   refutation,  that    our   country   is 
worse  now,  and  not  better,  for  her  politicians. 

The  Conrfederation  is  made  up  of  interests  more  or  less 
divergent ,  and  of  aims  more  or  less  conflicting ;  there  is  a  slight 
antagonism    of  religion,  and  there  is  fierce  conflict  of  races. 
The   best    and   the    noblest   deed    patriotism    could    perform 
would  be  to  restore  harmony  to  that  part  of  the  instrument 
which   is  jangled   and  out-of-tune ;  to  seek  and  close  up  the 
joints  in  the  Confederation;  to  demonstrate  that  the  interest 
of  the  many  ought  to  prevail  over  that  of  the  few  ;  that  Canada 
is  the  country  of  the  Gaul  as  well  as  of  the  Celt  and  the  Saxon  ; 
and,  finally,  that  the  triumph  of  the  country  as  a  whole,  in 
civilization  and  prosperity,  is  of  far  greater  moment  than  the 
success  or  the  aims  of  a  section,  a  creed,  or  a  race.     Mr.  Gold- 
win  Smith  describes  the   F"rench  province  as  a  wedge   driven 
between  the  Eastern  and  Western  sections  of  the  Union  ;  but 
even  this  tenacious  and  exclusive  nationality  would  in  time 
blend  into  its  surroundings  if  the  politicians  did  not  rekindle 
the  old  feuds  periodically  and  were  not  continually  unearthing 
for  new  discords.     I  do  not  think,  however,  that  there  is  much 
room  for  anticipating  that  this  province  will  readily  submit  to 
the  logic  o5  environment ;  if  there  were,  such  a  hope  dwindles 
down  to  mere  nothingness  when  we  find  that  the  execution 
of  a  man  convicted  of  treason  and  murder  furnishing  a  nev/ 
source  of  discord  and  isolation. 

Before  dismissing  this  chapter  of  my  subject,  I  beg  to 
point  out  one  condition  under  which  much  could  be  done  to 
improve  political  morals  and  draw  men  of  character  and 
fitness  into  public  life.     I   think  the  honor  of  a  seat  in  the 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,  ^ 

legislature  should  be  of  itself  a  sufificient  reward  to  the 
legislator.  In  England  this  is  the  rule,  and  instances  like  our 
own  Pacific  scandal,  or  the  many  frauds  that  blot  political 
history  in  the  United  States  is  unheard  of. 

In  our  country,  as  in  the  States,  a  man  imagines  that  an 
evil  political  deed  brings  no  personal  taint ;  until  men  are 
made  to  feel  a  reproach  upon  their  public  honor  as  keenly  as 
a  wound,  the  life  of  the  legislator  can  not  be  an  honest  one, 
his  calling  an  honorable  calling.  Honor  is  everything  to  most  of 
the  men  who  serve  in  Westminster,  and  for  honor  alone  do 
they  seek  the  place;  their  fortune  puts  them  above  the  debas- 
ing influence  money  exercises,  there  we  hear  nothing  of  the  sin 
so  familiar  to  our  own  ears. 

I  am  aware  that  it  would  be  a  grave  injustice  to  the 
people  of  a  young  country  to  place  its  representation  and  its 
law-making  power  solely  into  the  hands  of  those  who  could 
afford  to  serve  without  salary  ;  for,  at  such  a  stage  in  a  nation's 
life,  every  Cincinnatus  handles  his  own  plough.  But  the 
distribution  of  wealth  is  now  wide  enough  to  make  the  com- 
pensation one  of  honor;  and  wherever  honor  is  the  sole 
reward  the  best  men  only  strives  for  the  place.  Admitting 
even  that  the  twenty  New  York  aldermen  who  perpetrated,  in 
in  the  early  morning,  the  foulest  act  known  to  municipal 
history,  were  not  needy,  we  must  concede  on  the  other  hand 
that  they  were  the  product  of  what  is  worst  and  dishonorable 
in  the  wards;  if  a  higher  standard  of  representation  had 
obtained,  candidatures  as  theirs  would  have  been  out  of  the 
question. 


10  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

And  now,  I  shall  endeavor  to  briefly  discuss  the  three 
alternatives  which  the  future  holds  for  Canada  : — 

First — Federation  with  the  Empire. 

Second — Annexation  to  the  United  States,  and 

Third — The  formation  of  an  independent  nationality. 

Federation  is  a  vast  scheme ;  nothing  will  so  capture 
and  dazzle  a  small  mind  as  an  omnipotent  question.  I  may 
state,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  have  forgotten  the  fact, 
that  the  first  public  man  of  note  in  Canada  to  advocate 
Federation,  was  Sir  Alexander  Tilloch  Gait ; — but,  looking 
over  the  files  of  old  Canadian  papers,  I  find  that  this  same 
gentleman  was  at  one  time  the  leader  of  a  movement  in 
Montreal  which  sought  to  bring  about  annexation.  But,  such 
as  the  idea  is,  I  have  to  deny  credit  for  its  origination  with  Sir 
Alexander,  or  for  that  matter  with  politicians.  It  was  con- 
ceived by  Mr.  Justin  McCarthy,  who  deals  in  some  very  splendid 
kite-flying  in  the  closing  portion  of  the  history  of  Our  Own 
Times.  But  Mr.  McCarthy  derived  the  inspiration  from 
Tennyson,  who,  as  everyone  acquainted  with  Locksley  Hall 
knows,  tells  us  of  a  time  when  the  war  drum  shall  throb  no 
longer, 

"  And  the  battle  flags  be  furled, 
In  the  parliament  of  man,  the  Federation  of  the  World." 

I  wonder  that  somebody  has  not  overtopped  Lord  Tenny- 
son and  taken  in  the  moon.  Sir  John  Macdonald,  on  account 
of  whom  I  have  been  blamed  for  having  over-praised  him  in 
my  books,  has  latterly  favored  the  idea;  but  Sir  John  is  now 
nearly  seventy-two,  and  a  medical  friend  of  mine,  Dr.  Ferguson, 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,  it 

informs  me,  upon  his  professional  reputation,  that  atrophy  of 
the  brain  begins  a  little  after  fi*ty.  Moreover,  it  must  be 
remembered  what  influence  an  extra  decoration,  if  it  takes 
the  form  of  a  star  or  a  pretty  ribbon,  has  upon  the  understand- 
ing of  men. 

What  puzzles  me  is  how  men  like  Sir  John  and  Sir 
Alexander,  so  thorough  in  their  examination  of  questions,  and 
so  sound  in  judgment,  should  have  failed  to  find  three  or  four 
objections  to  this  project,  any  one  of  which  is  fatal.  For 
instance,  the  fundamental  notion  in  the  scheme  is  the  equality 
of  the  several  portions  of  the  Empire;  but,  if  the  existing 
Imperial  constitution  were  to  be  preserved,  this  would  mean 
colonial  representation  in  the  House  of  Lords  as  well  as  in  the 
Commons.  Colonial  soil  does  not  produce,  that  I  am  aware, 
peers  of  the  realm;  and  the  principle  of  entail  and  primogeni- 
ture is  lacking  to  propagate  the  dignity  and  the  status  of  a 
transplanted  peerage.  Imagine  my  grandson,  the  third  Lord 
Collins  of  Canada,  exercising  his  noble  energies  in  sweeping 
chimneys  ! 

Then,  as  to  our  concern  in  affairs  of  the  Empire. 

^n  the  prestige  and  the  power  of  Great  Britain,  we  all 
glory,  and  the  throbs  of  transport  felt  at  the  heart  of  the 
motherland  thrills  the  colonists  to  the  finger  tips;  but  for 
all  this  we  are  not  prepared  to  give  our  last  man  and  our  last 
shilling,  as  Sir  George  said  we  were ;  nor,  for  that  matter,  any 
man  or  any  shilling,  in  erecting  scientific  frontiers,  in  making 
disastrous  excursions  through  the  Khyber  pass,  or  shooting 
blacks  in  Ashantee.  The  British  tax-payer  may  be  persuaded 
that  to  bear  the  brunt  of  this  class  of  undertaking  is  proper 


12  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History , 

for  him,  because  they  maintain  and  augment  the  potencv  of 
the  British  name ;  but  the  Canadian  tax-payer  does  not  want, 
and  will  not  bear,  any  share  in  such  burdens.  It  would  be 
only  folly  to  expect  otherwise,  and  this  feature  of  the  question 
is  not  worthy  of  further  discussion. 

Having  disposed  of  these  tv/o  barriers,  let  us  picture  to 
ourselves  a  contingent  of  representatives  from  Canada  crossing 
the  seas  to  discuss  at  Westminster  whether  a  projected 
railrcid  bridge  in  Ontario  should  cross  Swan's  Creek  or  Duck's 
Puddle,  and  how  much  compensation  deacon  Estabrook's 
widow  should  receive  for  the  slaughter  of  her  cow  or  her 
husband  by  a  government  engine.  Imagine  the  widow  setting 
out  from  her  farm  to  cross  the  wintry  ocean  in  order  to  establish 
her  claim  before  a  listening  England  ! 

/  I  suppose  the  question  of  divorce  would  be  taken  from 
the  fond  hands  of  the  Ottawa  senators  to  the  House  of 
Lords ;  and  what  a  glorious  occupation  it  would  be  for  the 
Howards  and  the  Stanleys  to  sit  and  hear  the  petition  and  the 
evidence  of  Martha  Smith,  and  decide  whether,  after  all,  it 
was  not  best  to  turn  the  said  Martha  loose  again  into  the 
matrimonial  market. 

Some  one,  among  those  present,  will  probably  say  that  the 
Parliament  of  the  Empire  would  have  cognizance  of  only  such 
questions  as  treaties,  but  three  or  four  treaties  in  a  life-time 
are  about  the  number  that  past  history  has  produced. 

Let  me  repeat  the  fact  that  there  is  still  a  mightier  question 
behind  all  this  ;  it  is  found  in  the  position  that  the  heart  of 
the  Empire  would  occupy  in  relation  to  its  outskirts.  I  am 
aware  that  our  statesmen  leave  India  out  of  the  programme; 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  ij 

but,  at  the  risk  of  repeatin^j  an  old  joke,  I  will  aflFirm  that  this 
is  like  leaving  Hamlet  out  of  the  play.  Yet,  even  in  doinff 
this,  I  can,  without  danger  of  incurring  the  self-reproach  of 
wildness,  permit  my  imagination  to  travel  to  a  time  when  the 
population  of  Canada  alone  will  exceed  that  of  the  Imperial 
Island ;  so,  when  the  representatives  of  goodly  Canada  would 
move  into  the  house  at  Westminster,  you  would  have  the 
spectacle  which  Dundreary  has  best  described,  that  of  the  tail 
waggling  the  dog. 

Let  those  who  smile  remember  that  a  federation  on  the 
mighty  plan  suggested  is  not  a  compact  made  for  the  span  of 
a  statesman's  life,  but  a  constitution  fashioned  to  endure  as 
long  as  the  power  and  the  glory  of  the  British  Empire  last. 

For  these  reasons  and  for  a  score  of  other  good  ones, 
I  do  not  deem  the  scheme  of  federation  to  be  either  wise  or 
practicable.  It  is  a  splendid  subject  to  talk  about,  and,  after 
all,  it  would  be  a  pity  to  deny  politicians  the  opportunity  of 
discussing  something  grand  now  and  again. 

The  second  alternative  is  Annexation,  and  upon  this  I  shall 
not  waste  many  words.  At  the  outset,  allow  me  to  remark 
that  I  can  conceive  of  little  in  national  ambition  higher  than 
a  desire  to  form  a  portion  of  the  mightiest  Republic  that  the 
world  has  ever  seen  ;  but,  with  Canada,  annexation  would  not 
mean  alliance,  it  would  simply  mean  absorption.  Canadian 
individuality  of  course  would  cease,  while  the  material  condi- 
tion of  the  people  would  not  be  improved.  This,  however, 
is  a  question  about  which  we  can  only  vaguely  surmise.  But 
1  think  that  those  who,  like  ourselves,  have  had  an  opportunity 
of  comparing  certain  republican  institutions  with  corresponding 


14  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

■ 

ones  under  English  monarchy,  can  have  no  difficulty  in  giving 
the  preference  to  those  of  the  latter. 

I  shall  not  dwell  upon  vhe  spectacle  of  the  ermine  trailed 
through  the  party  mire  and  '  \olden  to  the  bad  men  who  pull 
caucus  wires,  for  I  should  h  to  speak  with  some  bitterness. 
I  contend  that  the  administ.  on  of  justice  in  this  country  is 
not,  nor  can  it  be  held  above  suspicion  ;  for,  it  is  not  lik -'ly  that 
the  judge  upon  the  bench  can  ignore  the  men  who  gave  him 
his  eminence ;  he  would  be  more  than  human  if  he  were  able 
to  forget  those  who  can,  at  a  stated  time,  give  him  that 
eminence  again. 

Nor  would  I,  without  a  struggle,  surrender  the  mild,  I 
might  say  fictitious,  kingly  prerogative  for  that  of  the  veto — 
which  may  be  as  arbitrary  and  capricious  as  the  dictum  of  a 
Roman  Emperor.  If  the  veto  is  never  arbitrary  and  never 
capricious,  the  man  is  to  be  thanked  and  not  the  constitution. 
'  It  would  be  well  too,  for  those  who  contemplate  the 
grandeur  of  a  political  brotherhood  extending  from  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  to  the  land  of  the  Esquimaux,  to  ponder 
whether  or  not  there  may  not  be  somewhere  a  breaking  point 
in  national  expansion. 

Lastly,  I  do  not  think  that  our  political  vocabulary  would 
gain  much  in  elegancJe  by  the  addition  of  such  candidates  as 
the  "  Mugwump"  and  the  "  Bloody  Shirt." 

But,  whether  there  be  any  force  or  not  in  my  objections,  I 
think  that  I  am  not  over  bold  in  affirming  that  our  people  do 
not  desire  annexation  and  never  will  accept  it. 

Finally  comes  the  proposal  of  national  independence. 

At  the  risk  of  shocking  some  of  my  hearers,  I  will  state  as 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  75 

my  belief  that  national  independence  is  the  more  natural  and 
logical  future  of  Canada.  I  think  it  just  as  natural  and  just  as 
logical  that,  in  good  time,  the  Dominion  should  end  its  con- 
nection with  the  cherished  motherland,  as  it  is  for  the  boy, 
attaining  man's  estate,  to  leave  his  father's  house  and,  single- 
handed,  achieve  his  own  fortune.  But,  come  independence 
when  it  may,  there  will  be  no  reddening  of  the  land  and  no 
serious  turmoil. 

Mr.  Gladstone  stated  his  belief,  less  than  three  years  ago, 
that  if  Canadians  were  to  inform  the  mother  country  of  their 
desire  and  readiness  «:o  stand  alone.  Great  Britain  would  not 
say  "  No."  After  all,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  kill  my  friend 
Colonel  Dennison  or  any  of  those  U.  E.  Loyalists  who  carry 
the  integrity  of  Canada  upon  the  blade  of  their  sword. 

To  put  in  a  plea  for  Canadian  independence,  of  course 
you  are  called  upon  to  state  the  gains,  and  you  are  handed  a 
bill  of  costs.  Upon  the  list  of  gains  I  shall  put  first  what 
some  may  count  as  nought,  and  that  is  sentiment :  take 
sentiment  out  of  the  breast  of  man  and  he  becomes  a  sordid 
grubber  for  his  bread. 

Independence  would  stimulate  national  ambition;  it  would 
give  Canada  a  status  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  divert 
immigration  to  her  fertile  lands. 

Furthermore,  it  would  give  her  the  power  to  make  and 
fashion  treaties  in  accord  with  her  commercial  needs,  and 
give  her  a  place  among  nations. 

Higher  aims  would  prevail  in  the  political  sphere,  and 
as  a  consequence  ambition  would  be  more  lofty.  In  a  word, 
it  would  give  that  for  which  some  of  the  noblest  men  that  ever 


1 6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

lived,  fought  and  bled  and  laid  down  their  lives.  I  do  not  care 
to  deal  in  heroics,  but  if  the  position  of  the  guardian  be 
higher  than  that  oi  the  ward,  I  take  it  that  the  standing  of  the 
independent  state  is  superior  to  that  of  the  dependent  one.     I 

■ ..  do  not  see  how  there  can  be  any  dispute  on  this  score. 

Some  will  say:  "Granted,  but  your  independent  Domi- 
nion will  be  a  mere  weakling  among  nations."  And  others 
may  ask:  "What  can  she  do  against  hostile  guns?  What 
is  to  hinder  the  Republic  at  her  side  from  swallowing 
her  up?"  I  deny  that  she  will  be  a  weakling.  Her  population 
is  greater  now,  and  her  defenses  are  stronger  than  were  those 
of  the  American  colonies  at  the  time  of  their  revolt.  Her 
population  is  greater  than  any  one  of  nearly  a  dozen  indepen- 
dent European  kingdoms,  and  she  has  a  wider  area  of  fertile 
land  than  any  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Alone,  the 
valley  of  the  Saskatchewan,  according  to  scientific  computation, 
is  capable  of  sustaining  800,000,000  souls.  And  along  these 
boundless  stretches  of  fertile  wheat-land,  herds  and  flocks  live, 
without  housing,  through   the  winter  season.     In  short,  the 

v;  capabilities  of  this  country,  about  whose  future  the  misinformed 
have  doubts,  are  so  great  that  an  adequate  recital  of  them 
would  be  simply  amazing. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  dangers  of  an  attack  by  hostile 
powers.  In  spite  of  all  what  pessimists  may  say,  this  is  an  age  of 
peace  and  not  of  war ;  nations  are  not  growing  more  warlike  but 
more  peaceful.  We  have  reached  at  last  the  age  of  commerce, 
and  to-day  the  battle  is  that  of  the  ploughshare  anjj  not  of  the 
sabre.  I  do  not  think  that  we  need  fear  to  see  any  grapeshot 
sent  across  the  Niagara,  for  our  good  friends  the  Americans  are 


Art,  Science,  LiLr attire,  and  Commerce.  i"/ 

quite  too  busy  making  money  lO  embark  into  such  a  profitless 
occupation.  They  have  given  us  abundant  proof  that  war  is 
not  upon  their  programme ;  for  they  maintain  no  mighty  fleet 
nor  grinding  army,  but  only  ships  and  muskets  enough  to  serve 
as  a  police  force  on  land  and  sea.  Moreover,  they  remember 
that  the  Canadian  volunteers  knew  how  to  fight  as  early  as  1812, 
and  they  have  not  forgotten  some  of  the  lessons  we  taught 
them  at  Chrysler's  farm,  Chateauguay,  and  Queenston  Heights. 

Looking  into  the  future,  I  perceive  my  country  spanning 
this  broad  continent,  her  bosom  throbbing  with  life  and  great 
plenty.  Upon  the  pages  of  her  history  I  can  read  the  record  of 
her  achievements,  it  is  worthy  of  a  land  with  so  rich  an 
inheritance.  I  see  her  artists  kneel  for  inspiration  before  her 
majestic  and  lovely  landscapes,  while  able  pens  are  moulding 
the  traditions  and  legends  with  which  the  land  is  so  richly 
strewn  into  an  imperishable  literature,  encompassing  history, 
romance  and  song. 

Later  on  I  imagine  that  I  see  a  people — intelligent,  thrifty 
and  well-ordered — who,  with  roll  of  drum  and  the  joyous  waving 
of  flags,  celebrates  the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  birth  of 
Canada;  and  I  hear  statesmen  alluding  to  this  nineteenth  year 
of  the  Confederation,  as  the  one  which  saw  unworthy  men 
strive  to  sever  the  ties  of  the  sisterhood.  Later  on  still,  it 
seems  as  if  I  heard  them  relate  with  pride  that  in  spite  of  these 
men's  treason,  the  loyalty  and  faith  of  the  people  remained 
unshaken  ;  that  they  went  on  adding  rnd  building,  striving  and 
achieving,  until  they  crowned  their  work  with  a  nationhood 
that  in  the  eyes  of  civilized  mankind  stood  second  to  none  in 
prosperity,  intelligence  and  general  contentment. 


^■-« 


THE  SCHISM  IN  THE  ANGLO-SAXON  RACE. 


GOLD  WIN  SMITH,  M 


(    An 
.  A.,  D.  C.  L.\ 

(      Ca 


An  Address  delivered  before  the 
inadian  Club  of  New  York, 


N  the  strength  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race, 

— of  which  British  institutions,  now 

adopted  by  every    European  nation 

except    Russia,   the    British    Empire 

in  India,  and  the  American  Republic, 

besides    many   a    famous   deed   and 

glorious  enterprise,  are  the  proofs, — 

there   lurks   a   weakness.     It   is  the 

weakness  of   self-reliance  pushed   to 

an  extreme,  which  breeds  division  and  isolation.     Races  such 

as  the  Celtic  race,  weaker  in  the  individual,  are   sometimes 

made  by  their  clannish  cohesiveness  stronger  in  the  mass.    The 


MO  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Celt  seems  to  have  lingered  long  in  the  clan  state  and  to  have 
had  his  character  permanently  moulded  by  it,  while  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  as  a  sea-rover  came  early  out  of  that  state  and  was  trained 
from  the  infancy  of  the  race  to  self-government.  In  enterprise 
and  peril  Anglo-Saxon  will  be  the  truest  of  comrades  to  Anglo- 
Saxon.  But  except  under  strong  compression  they  are  apt  to 
fly  apart.  Even  in  travelling  they  hold  aloof  from  each  other. 
They  quarrel  easily  and  do  not  easily  forget.  Their  pride 
perpetuates  their  estrangement.  In  their  spleen  and  factious- 
ness they  take  the  part  of  outsiders  against  each  other.  It  is 
thus  that  the  race  is  in  danger  of  losing  its  crown.  It  is  thus 
that  it  is  in  danger  of  forfeiting  the  leadership  of  civiliza- 
tion to  inferior  but  more  gregarious  races,  to  the  detriment  of 
civilization  as  well  as  to  its  own  disparagement.  The  most 
signal  and  disastrous  instance  of  this  weakness  is  the  schism  in 
the  race  caused  by  the  American  Revolution  with  the  long 
estrangement  that  has  followed,  concerning  which  I  am  to 
speak  this  evening. 

You  and  I,  gentlemen  of  the  Canadian  Club  of  New  York  ; 
you,  natives  of  Canada,  and  some  of  you  perhaps  descendants  of 
United  Empire  Loyalists  domiciled  in  the  United  States;  I, an 
Englishman,  holding  a  professorship  of  History  in  an  American 
University — represent  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  as  it  was  before 
the  schism,  as  it  will  be  when  the  schism  is  at  an  end.  We 
remind  the  race  of  the  time  when  its  magnificent  realm  in  both 
hemispheres  was  one,  and  teach  it  to  look  for  the  time  when 
that  realm  will  be  united  again,  not  by  a  political  bond,  which 
from  the  beginning  was  unnatural  and  undesirable,  but  by  the 
bond  of  the  heart.     While  the  cannon  of  the  Fourth  of  July 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  21 

are  being  fired,  and  the  speeches  are  being  made  in  honor  of 
American  Independence,  we,  though  we  rejoice  in  the  birth  of 
the  American  Republic,  must  toll  the  bell  of  mourning  for  the 
schism  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  race.  We  must  ask  ourselves,  and 
so  far  as  without  offence  we  may  exhort  Americans  to  ask 
themselves,  what  the  quarrel  was  about,  whether  it  was  such  a 
quarrel  as  might  reasonably  breed,  not  only  enmity  for  the  time, 
but  undying  hatred  ;  whether  it  ought  not  long  before  this  to 
have  given  place  to  kinder  and  nobler  thoughts ;  and  whether 
by  cherishing  it  and  treating  it  as  a  point  of  national  pride  the 
Anglo-Saxon  of  the  west  does  not  disparage  and  traduce  his 
own  greatness. 

The  relation  of  political  dependence  between  an  Anglo- 
Saxon  colony  and  its  mother  country  was  probably  from  the 
beginning  unsound,  and  being  unsound  it  was  always  fraught 
with  the  danger  of  a  violent  rupture.  Perhaps  it  may  be  said 
that  nothing  could  have  averted  such  a  rupture  except  a 
prescience  which  the  wisest  of  statesmen  seldom  possess,  or 
the  teaching  of  a  sad  experience  such  as  has  led  England  since 
the  American  Revolution  to  concede  to  Canada  and  her  other 
colonies  virtual  independence.  The  Greek  colonist  took  the 
sacred  fire  from  the  altar  hearth  of  the  parent  state  and  went 
forth  to  found  a  greater  Greece  in  perfect  independence,  owing 
the  parent  state  no  political  allegiance  but  only  filial  affection. 
It  might  have  been  better  if  the  Anglo-Saxon,  fully  the  equal 
of  the  Greek  in  colonizing  faculty  and  power  of  political 
organization,  had  done  the  same.  In  this  way  it  was  that 
England  herself  had  been  founded.  But  the  sentiment  of 
personal  allegiance  to  the  Sovereign  in  whose  realm  the  emi- 


New  Papers  o?i  Canadian  History, 

grant  had  been  born  was  strong  in  all  feudal  communities.  It 
shows  itself  clearly  in  the  covenant  made  on  landing  by  the 
emigrants  of  the  Mayflower,  nor  had  it  by  any  means  lost  its 
hold  over  the  minds  even  of  men  who  took  part  in  the 
American  Revolution.  In  the  period  during  wh'ch  the  col- 
onies were  founded  this  sentiment  was  universal.  The  colonies 
of  the  United  Netherlands  were  dependencies  as  well  as  those 
of  the  Spanish,  French,  and  British  monarchies.  They  were 
dependencies,  and  as  such  they  were  protected  and  supported 
by  the  military  power  of  the  parent  state.  Had  the  British 
colonies  not  been  protected  and  supported  by  the  arms  of 
England,  would  this  continent  have  become  the  heritage  of  the 
English-speaking  race  ?  The  English  colonist  was  stronger  no 
doubt  than  the  colonist  of  New  France ;  but  was  he  stronger 
than  the  colonist  of  New  France  backed  by  the  French  fleets 
and  armies?  Might  he  not,  instead  of  calling  this  vast  and 
peerless  realm  his  own,  have  merely  shared  it  with  three  or  four 
other  races  between  whom  and  him  there  would  have  been  a 
balance  of  power,  rivalry,  war  and  all  the  evils  from  which 
afflicted  and  over-burdened  Europe  sometimes  dreams  of  escap- 
ing by  means  of  a  European  Federation?  Might  he  not  even 
have  entirely  succumbed  to  the  concentrated  power  of  the 
French  monarchy,  wielded  by  the  strong  hand  and  the  towering 
ambition  of  a  Richelieu  or  a  Louvois  ?  These  are  contingencies 
unfulfilled,  but  unfulfilled  perhaps  because  one  memorable 
morning,  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham,  a  British  army  and  a 
British  hero  decided  that  Anglo-Saxon,  not  French,  should  be 
the  language ;  that  Anglo-Saxon,  not  French,  should  be  the 
polity  and  the  laws  of  the  New  World.     And  when  that  day 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  2j 

was  won  there  burst  from  the  united  heart  of  the  whole  race  in 
both  hemispheres  a  cheer  not  only  of  triumph  but  of  mutual 
affection  and  of  Anglo-Saxon  patriotism  which  history  still 
hears  amidst  tht  cannon  of  the  Fourth  of  July. 

Was  the  connection  felt  by  the  colonists  to  be  generally 
oppressive  and  odious,  or  was  the  cause  of  quarrel  merely  a 
dispute  on  a  particular  point  with  the  home  government  of  the 
day?  In  the  first  case  it  might  be  natural,  if  not  reasonable  or 
noble,  to  cherish  the  feud ;  in  the  second,  it  clearly  would  be 
unnatural.  That  the  connection  was  not  felt  to  be  oppressive 
and  odious,  but,  on  the  contrary,  to  the  mass  of  the  colonists 
was  dear  and  cherished,  is  a  fact  of  which,  if  all  the  proofs  were 
produced,  they  would  more  than  fill  my  allotted  hour.  Franklin 
said,  only  a  few  days  before  Lexington,  that  he  had  more  than 
once  travelled  almost  from  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the 
other,  and  kept  a  variety  of  company  eating,  drinking,  and 
conversing  with  them  freely,  and  never  had  heard  in  any 
conversation  from  any  person,  drunk  or  sober,  the  least  expres- 
sion of  a  wish  for  separation  or  hint  that  such  a  thing  would  be 
advantageous  to  America.  Jay  said,  that  before  the  second 
petition  of  Congress,  in  1775,  he  never  heard  an  American 
of  any  class  or  of  any  description  express  a  wish  for  the 
independence  of  the  colonies.  Jefferson  said,  that  before  the 
commencement  of  hostilities  he  had  never  heard  a  whisper  of  a 
disposition  to  separate  from  Great  Britain,  and  after  that  the 
possibility  was  contemplated  by  all  as  an  affliction.  The  Fairfax 
County  "  Resolves  "  denounce  as  a  malevolent  falsehood  the 
notion  breathed  by  the  Minister  into  the  ear  of  the  King  that 
the  colonies  intended  to  set  up  for  independent  States.     Wash- 


24  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

ington,  on  assuming  the  command,  declared,  in  his  reply  to  an 
address  from  New  York,  that  the  object  of  the  war  was  a 
restoration  of  the  connection  on  a  just  and  constitutional 
footing.  Madison,  at  a  later  day,  avowed  that  it  had  always 
been  his  impression  that  a  re-establishment  of  the  colonial 
relations  to  the  parent  country,  as  they  were  previous  to  the 
controversy,  was  the  real  object  of  every  class  of  the  people  till 
the  hope  of  obtaining  it  had  fled.  Dickinson  was  not  more 
opposed  to  arbitrary  taxation  than  he  was  to  separation,  and 
the  fiery  Otis  might  be  called  as  a  witness  on  the  same  side.* 
Men  there  were  no  doubt,  like  Samuel  Adams,  republicans  in 
sentiment  and  devoted  to  political  agitation,  who  from  the 
beginning  aspired  to  independence  and  meant  to  bring  about  a 
rupture ;  but  they  found  it  necessary  to  cloak  their  designs, 
and  that  necessity  was  the  proof  that  the  general  sentiment 
was  in  favor  of  the  connection. 

There  is  another  proof  of  the  same  fact  which  is  familiar 
to  every  Canadian  mind  and  of  which  Canada  herself  is  the 
lasting  embodiment.  It  is  found  in  the  number  and  constancy 
of  the  Loyalists  whose  annals  have  been  written  in  a  most 
generous  spirit  by  a  representative  of  their  enemies,  Mr. 
Sabine,  and  whose  illustrious  and  touching  heritage  of  mis- 
fortune is  still  the  light  and  pride  of  not  a  few  Canadian 
hearths  in  the  land  in  which,  by  the  insensate  cruelty  of  the 
victor,  the  vanquished  were  compelled  to  seek  a  home.  There 
seems  reason  to  believe  that  fully  one-half  of  the  people, 
including  a  fair  share  of  intelligence,  remained  at  least  passively 


*  I  owe  most  of  these  citations  to  Mr.  Sabine. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  2^ 

loyal  till  the  blundering  arrogance  and  violence  of  the  royal 
officers  estranged  multitudes  from  the  royal  cause.  Twenty-five 
thousand  Americans,  as  Sabine  thinks,  according  to  the  lowest 
computation,  were  in  arms  for  the  crown.  To  the  end  there 
were  whole  batallions  of  them  serving  in  the  royal  army.  Sabine 
says  that  Sir  Guy  Carleton  sent  away  twelve  thousand  exiles 
for  loyalty's  sake  from  New  York  before  the  evacuation. 
Judge  Jones,  in  the  history  the  publication  of  which  we  owe  to 
the  New  York  Historical  Society,  gives  a  much  larger  number. 
Two  thousand  took  their  departure  even  from  the  shores  of 
Republican  Massachusetts.  When  the  Netherlands  cast  off  the 
yoke  of  Spain,  when  Italy  cast  off  the  yoke  of  Austria,  how 
many  Dutchmen  or  Italians  went  into  exile  out  of  loyalty  to 
the  oppressor  ? 

This  was  not  like  the  revolt  of  the  Netherlands  or  of  Italy, 
a  rising  against  a  foreign  yoke  :  it  was  a  civil  war,  which  divided 
England  as  well  as  the  United  States.  The  American  party  in 
the  British  Parliament  crippled  the  operations  of  the  govern- 
ment and  upon  the  first  reverses  enforced  peace.  Otherwise 
the  loss  of  Cornwallis's  little  army  would  not  have  been  the 
end.  The  contest  would  have  been  carried  on  by  Great  Britain 
with  the  same  unyielding  spirit  which,  after  a  struggle  of 
twenty  years,  overthrew  Napoleon. 

"  It  is  the  glory  of  England, "  says  Bancroft,  "  that  the 
rightfulness  of  the  Stamp  Act  was  in  England  itself  the  subject 
of  dispute.  It  could  have  been  so  nowhere  else.  The  King 
of  France  taxed  the  French  colonies  as  a  matter  of  course ;  the 
King  of  Spain  collected  a  revenue  by  his  will  in  Mexico  and 
Peru,  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  and  wherever  he  ruled.     The 


^^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History y 

States-General  of  the  Netherlands  had  no  constitutional  scruples 
about  imposing  duties  on  their  outlying  possessions.  To 
England  exclusively  belongs  the  honor  that  between  her  and 
her  colonies  the  question  of  right  could  arise ;  it  is  still  more  to 
her  glory,  as  well  as  to  her  happiness  and  freedom,  that  in  that 
contest  her  success  was  not  possible.  Her  principles,  her 
traditions,  her  liberty,  forbade  that  arbitrary  rule  should 
become  her  characteristic.  The  shaft  aimed  at  her  new  colonial 
policy  was  tipped  with  a  feather  from  her  own  wing."  The 
reason  why  the  colonies  took  arms,  in  short,  was  not  that  they 
were  worse  treated  by  their  mother  country  than  other  colonists 
in  those  days^  but  that  they  were  better  treated.  They  rebelled 
not  because  they  were  enslaved,  but  because  they  were  so  free 
that  the  slightest  curtailment  of  freedom  seemed  to  them 
slavery.  Whig  and  Tory,  as  Mr.  Sabine  says,  wanted  the  same 
thing.  Both  wanted  the  liberty  which  they  had  enjoyed ;  but 
the  Whig  required  securities  while  the  Tory  did  not.  The 
Tory  might  have  said  that  he  had  the  securities  which 
Bancroft  himself  has  enumerated,  those  afforded  by  the  tradi- 
tions, the  Constitution,  the  political  spirit  of  England  herself, 
against  any  serious  or  permanent  aggression  on  colonial  liberty ; 
and  that  while  he  possessed,  in  municipal  self-government,  in 
jury  trial,  in  freedom  of  conscience  and  of  the  press,  in  the 
security  of  person  and  of  private  property,  the  substance  of 
freedom,  he  would  exercise  a  little  patience  and  try  whether 
the  repeal  of  the  Tea  Duty  could  not  be  obtained  before  he 
plunged  the  country  into  civil  war.  The  Stamp  Duty  had  been 
repealed,  and  though  at  the  s?me  time  the  abstract  right  of 
parliament  to  tax  the  colonies  had  been  asserted,  this  had  been 


Artt  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,  2j 

done  with  the  full  concurrence  of  Burke,  and  manifestly  by 
way  of  saving  the  dignity  of  the  Imperial  legislature.  The  Tea 
Duty,  trifling  in  itself,  was  a  mere  freak  of  Townsend's  tipsy 
genius,  to  which  the  next  turn  in  the  war  of  parliamentary 
parties  might  have  put  an  end,  if  colonial  violence  had  not 
given  a  fatal  advantage  to  the  party  of  violence  in  the  Imperial 
government.  Nor  does  it  seem  to  have  been  clear  from  the 
outset,  even  to  the  mind  of  Franklin,  that  the  Imperial  Parlia- 
ment, had  not  the  legal  power  of  taxing  the  colonies,  unwise 
and  unjust  as  the  exercise  of  that  power  might  be.  It  was  the 
only  Parliament  of  the  Empire,  and  in  regard  to  taxation  as  well 
as  other  matters,  in  it  or  nowhere  was  sovereign  power.  That  it 
had  absolute  power  of  legislation  on  general  subjects,  including 
trade,  was  admitted  on  all  hands ;  and  surely  the  distinction  is 
fine  between  the  power  of  general  legislation  and  a  power  of 
passing  a  law  requiring  a  tax  to  be  paid.  That  there  should 
be  no  taxation  without  representation  might  be  a  sound 
principle,  but  in  the  days  of  the  unreformed  Parliament  it  did 
not  prevail  in  the  mother  country  herself.  Ship-money,  to 
which  the  Tea  Duty  has  been  compared,  was  part  of  a  great 
scheme  of  arbitrary  government.  It  was  intended,  together 
with  other  devices  of  fiscal  extortion,  to  supply  the  revenue  for 
an  unparliamentary  monarchy,  the  reactionary  policy  of  which 
in  Church  and  State  would,  in  Hampden's  opinion,  have 
quenched  not  only  the  political  freedom  but  the  spiritual  life 
of  the  nation,  and  made  England  the  counterpart  and  the 
partner  in  reaction  of  France  and  Spain.  Nothing  like  this 
could  be  said  of  the  Tea  Duty.  Bancroft  acquits  Grenville  of 
any  design  to  introduce  despotism  into  the  colonies.     Such  a 


28  New  Papers  o?i  Canadian  History, 

design  could  hardly  have  entered  the  mind  of  a  Whig  who  was 
doing  his  best  to  reduce  to  a  nullity  the  power  of  the  King. 
What  Grenville  desired  to  introduce  was  contribution  to 
Imperial  armaments,  and  he  may  at  least  be  credited  with  the 
statesmanship  which  regarded  the  colonies,  not  as  a  mere  group 
of  detached  settlements,  but  as  an  English  Empire  in  the  New 
World.  The  King  may  have  had  absolutist  notions  with  regard 
to  colonial  as  well  as  to  home  government,  but  the  King  was  not 
an  autocrat.  The  bishops  may  have  wished  to  introduce  the 
mitre,  but  the  bishops  were  not  masters  of  Parliament.  Chatham 
was  more  powerful  than  King  or  bishops,  and  had  his  sun 
broken  for  an  hour  through  the  clouds  which  had  gathered 
round  its  setting,  the  policy  of  the  home  government  towards 
the  colonies  would  at  once  have  been  changed. 

The  preamble  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  sets  forth 
a  series  of  acts  of  tyrannical  violence  committed  by  George  III., 
and  it  suggests  that  these  were  ordinary  and  characteristic 
acts  of  the  King's  government.  Had  they  been  ordinary  and 
characteristic  acts  of  the  King's  government  they  would  have 
justified  rebellion ;  but  they  were  nothing  of  the  kind.  They 
were  measures  of  repression,  ill-advised,  precipitate  and  exces- 
sive, but  still  measures  of  repression,  not  adopted  before  violent 
resistance  on  the  part  of  the  colonists  had  commenced.  No 
government  will  suffer  its  officers  to  be  outraged  for  obeying  its 
commands  and  their  houses  to  be  wrecked,  or  the  property  of 
merchants  trading  under  its  flag  to  be  thrown  into  the  sea  by 
mobs.  Jefferson,  who  penned  the  Declaration,  is  the  object  of 
veneration  to  many,  but  his  admirers  will  hardly  pretend  that  he 
never  preferred  effect  to  truth. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,  2g 

One  count  in  Jefferson's  draft  of  the  Declaration  he  was 
obliged  to  withdraw.  In  inflated,  not  to  say  fustian  phrase, 
and  with  extravagant  unfairness,  he  charges  George  III., 
who,  though  he  had  a  narrow  mind,  had  at  least  as  good  a  heart 
as  Jefferson  himself,  with  having  been  specially  to  blame  for 
the  existence  of  slavery  and  of  the  slave  trade.  "  He  has 
waged,"  it  says,  "  cruel  war  against  human  nature,  violating  its 
most  sacred  rights  of  life  and  liberty  in  the  persons  of  a  distant 
people  who  never  offended  him,  captivating  and  carrying  them 
into  slavery  in  another  hemisphere  or  to  incur  miserable 
death  in  their  transportation  thither.  This  piratical  warfare, 
the  opprobium  of  infidel  powers,  is  the  war  of  the  Christian 
King  of  Great  Britain.  Determined  to  keep  open  a  market 
where  men  should  be  bought  and  sold,  he  has  prostituted  his 
negative  for  suppressing  any  legislative  attempt  to  prohibit  or 
restrain  this  execrable  commerce."  This  count,  as  we  know, 
was  struck  out  in  deference  to  the  sentiments  of  patriots,  heirs  of 
the  spirit  of  Brutus  and  Cassius,  who  were  perpetuating  and  were 
resolved,  if  they  could,  to  go  on  perpetuating  the  violation  of 
sacred  rights  and  the  piratical  warfare  laid  to  the  charge  of  George 
III.  Not  the  least  curious,  surely,  of  historical  documents  is  this 
manifesto  of  a  civil  war  levied  to  vindicate  the  sacred  principle 
that  all  men  are  born  equal  and  with  inalienable  rights  to 
liberty  and  happiness,  when  we  consider  that  not  only  was  the 
manifesto  framed  by  a  slave-owner  and  signed  by  slave-owners, 
but  the  Constitution  to  which  the  victory  of  the  principle  in 
the  war  gave  birth  embodied  a  fugitive-slave  law  and  a  legal- 
ization of  the  slave  trade  for  twenty  years.  A  stranger 
inducement  surely  never  was  held  out  to  men  to  fight  in  the 


JO  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

cause  of  human  freedom  than  that  which  was  offered  by 
Virginia  to  volunteers,  three  hundred  acres  of  land  and  one 
sound  and  healthy  negro.  Equity  compels  us  to  admit  that 
the  want  of  a  thorough  grasp  of  the  principle  of  liberty  was 
not  limited  to  the  mind  of  George  III.  A  Virginian  planter 
fought  not  for  freedom,  the  love  of  which  had  never  entered  his 
soul :  he  fought  for  his  own  proud  immunity  from  control 
and  for  the  subjection  to  his  will  of  all  around  him.  His 
haughtiness  could  hardly  brook  even  association  with  the 
mercantile  and  plebeian  New  Englander  in  military  command. 
Suppose  the  negro  had  taken  arms  in  vindication  of  the  prin- 
ciple that  all  men  were  born  equal  and  with  an  inalienable 
right  to  liberty  and  happiness,  his  manifesto  would  have  been 
tainted  by  no  fallacy  like  that  which  taints  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  The  acts  of  tyranny  and  cruelty  of  which  he 
would  have  complained,  the  traffic  in  human  flesh,  the  confis- 
cation of  the  laborer's  earnings,  the  chain  and  the  lash,  the 
systematic  degradation  of  the  slave,  and  all  the  wrongs  of 
slavery,  would  have  been  not  temporary  measures  of  repression, 
adopted  by  authority  in  self-defence ;  they  would  have  been 
normal  and  characteristic  of  the  system. 

On  Jefferson's  principle  of  framing  indictments  against 
governments  what  an  indictment  might  the  Loyalists  again  have 
framed  against  the  government  of  Independence !  "  We  have 
adhered, "  they  might  have  said,  "  to  a  connection  dear  to  all 
of  you  but  yesterday,  to  the  allegiance  in  which  we  were  born, 
to  a  form  of  government  which  seems  the  best  to  us,  and  not 
to  us  only,  but  to  Hamilton  and  others  of  your  leading  men, 
who  avow  that  if  Constitutional  monarchy  were  here  attainable 


Arty  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         ji 

they  would  introduce  it  here.  For  this  we  have  been  ostra- 
cized, insulted,  outraged,  tortured,  pillaged,  hunted  down  like 
wild  beasts.  The  amnesty  which  ought  to  close  all  civil  wars 
has  been  denied  us ;  some  of  us  have  been  hanged  before  the 
face  of  our  departing  friends ;  and  now  we  are  stripped  of  all 
our  property  and  banished  from  our  native  land  under  threat 
of  death  if  we  return.  Even  women,  who  cannot  have  borne 
arms  in  the  royal  cause,  if  they  have  property,  are  included  in 
the  proscription  and  in  the  sentence  of  death.  The  proscription 
list  shows,  too,  that  membership  of  the  Church  of  England  is 
practically  treated  as  a  crime  !  "  Surely  these  complaints  would 
have  been  not  less  pertinent  than  those  of  Jefferson  against 
George  III.  Atrocities  had  no  doubt  been  committed  by  the 
Loyalists,  but,  as  Mr.  Sabine  says,  they  had  been  committed  on 
both  sides.  Conscientious  error  is  no  crime  in  politics  any 
more  than  in  religion,  though  it  is  treated  as  a  crime  by 
fanatical  revolutionists  as  well  as  by  inquisitors. 

Supposing  even  the  Loyalists  could  have  foreseen  the 
present  success  of  the  American  Republic,  and  with  the  success 
the  evils  and  dangers  which  disquiet  thoughtful  Americans, 
would  they  have  been  very  base  or  guilty  in  shrinking  from 
revolution?  We  are  on  the  Pisgah  of  Democracy,  but  not 
yet  in  the  promised  land.  No  one  is  in  the  promised  land  at 
least,  except  Mr.  Carnegie  who,  in  his  genial  and  jocund  hymn  of 
triumph,  pouring  forth  his  joyous  notes  like  a  sky-lark  of  demo- 
cracy poised  over  the  caucus  and  the  spoils  system,  ascribes  it  to 
Democratic  institutions  that  the  Mississippi  is  as  large  as 
twenty-seven  Seines,  nine  Rhones,  or  eighty  Tibers.  The 
Democracy  which  shall  make  government  the  organ  of  public 


^2         .      New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

reason,  and  not  of  popular  passion  or  of  the  demagogism  which 
trades  upon  it,  is  yet  in  the  womb  of  the  future.  Canada  exults 
in  having  exchanged  her  royal  governors  for  a  government 
which  is  called  responsible,  though  nothing  is  less  responsible 
than  a  dominant  party.  In  time,  we  trust,  her  exultation  will 
be  justified  ;  but  there  is  too  much  reason  to  doubt  whether  the 
rule  of  an  honorable  and  upright  gentleman,  trained  not  in  the 
vote-market  but  in  the  school  of  duty,  such  as  General  Simcoe 
or  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  was  not,  politically  as  well  as  morally, 
better  for  all  but  professional  politicians,  than  a  reign  of  faction, 
demagogism  and  corruption.  Forwards  not  backwards  we  must 
look,  forwards  not  backwards  we  must  go.  Yet  history  may 
extend  its  charity  to  those  who,  when  they  were  not  smarting 
under  intolerable  or  hopeless  oppression,  shrank  from  passing 
through  a  Red  Sea  of  civil  bloodshed  to  a  Canaan  which  was 
beyond  their  ken. 

Besides  the  Tea  Tax,  no  doubt,  there  were  the  restrictions 
on  trade.  These  were  in  reality  a  more  serious  grievance,  and 
probably  they  had  at  bottom  at  least  as  much  to  do  with  the 
Revolution  as  the  Tea  Tax.  But  such  were  the  economical  creed 
and  the  universal  practice  of  the  day.  Chatham,  the  idol  of  the 
colonists,  it  was  who  threatened  that  he  would  not  allow  them 
to  manufacture  a  horse-nail.  The  colonists  themselves  pro- 
bably, though  they  groaned  under  restrictions,  shared  the 
delusion  as  to  the  principle  in  pursuance  of  which  the  restric- 
tions were  imposed,  and  they  enjoyed  privileges  granted  on 
the  se  -ne  principle  and  equally  irrational  which  were  supposed 
to  be  a  compensation.  The  light  of  economical  science  had 
then  barely  dawned.     Even  now  the  shadows  of  the  restrictive 


Ari,  Scmue,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         jj 

policy  linger  in  the  valleys  though  the  peaks  have  caught  the 
rays  of  morning. 

There  were  Americans  who  desired  a  Republic.  Samuel 
Adams  we  can  hardly  doubt  was  one  of  them.  Judge  Jones 
tells  us  that  there  was  a  Republican  association  at  New  York 
with  classical  phrases  and  aspirations.  The  patriotism  of 
those  days,  the  patriotism  of  Wilkes  and  Junius,  was  classical, 
not  religious,  like  that  of  Hampden  and  Cromwell.  It  affected 
the  Roman  in  everything,  and  was  not  unconnected  with 
Roman  Punch.  But  had  George  III.  offered  his  colonial 
subjects  a  Republic,  his  offer  would  have  been  rejected  by  an 
overwhelming  majority.  Jefferson  was  a  Rousseauist  and  a 
French  revolutionist  in  advance.  When  Jacobinism  came  on 
the  scene  his  affinity  to  it  appeared.  He  palliates,  to  say  the 
least,  the  September  massacres  and  gives  his  admirers  reason 
for  rejoicing  that  he  was  not  a  Parisian,  since,  if  he  had  been, 
he  might  have  canted  with  Robespierre  and  murdered  with 
Billaud  Varennes.  "  My  own  affections,  "  he  says,  "  have  been 
deeply  wounded  by  some  of  the  martyrs  to  this  cause,  but 
rather  than  it  should  have  failed  I  would  have  seen  the  earth 
desolated.  Were  there  but  an  Adam  and  Eve  kept  in  every 
country  and  left  free  it  would  have  been  better  than  it  now  is." 
So  inestimable  to  this  slave-holder  appeared  the  boon  of  liberty, 
even  the  liberty  of  a  bedlam  turned  into  a  slaughter-house, 
even  the  liberty  which  went  yelling  about  the  streets  with  the 
head  of  a  Farmer-General  or  the  fragments  of  a  Court  lady's 
body  on  a  pole.  Jefferson  and  his  fellow  Jacobins  had  not 
learned  what  the  Puritans  of  the  English  Revolution  had  learned, 
that  you  cannot,  merely  by  getting  rid  of  kings,  make  the  soul 


^4  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

worthy  to  be  free.  They  had  not  learned  that  tyranny  is  the 
offspring,  not  of  monarchy,  but  of  lawless  passion  in  the 
possessors  of  power,  and  that  it  can  wear  the  Jacobin's  cap-of- 
liberty  as  well  as  the  despot's  crown.  A  true"  brother  of 
Rousseau  who  preached  domestic  reform  and  sent  his  own 
children  to  the  foundling  hospital,  Jefferson  declaimed  against 
slavery  and  kept  his  slaves.  His  theories  may  have  been  true 
and  his  sentiments  may  have  been  beautiful,  but  the  British 
government  could  not  have  been  reasonably  expected  to  shape 
its  colonial  policy  so  as  to  satisfy  a  Rousseauist  and  a 
Jacobin.  Hamilton,  as  I  have  said,  avowed  his  belief  that  con- 
stitutional monarchy  was  the  best  of  all  forms  of  government. 
He  thought  the  House  of  Lords  an  excellent  institution.  Mason 
said  that  to  refer  the  choice  of  a  proper  character  for  a  chief- 
magistrate  to  the  people  would  be  like  referring  a  trial  of 
colors  to  a  blind  man.  Betwen  the  sentiments  of  these  men 
and  Jefferson's  democracy  the  difference  was  as  wide  as 
possible.  It  would  have  been  difficult  for  poor  George  HI.  to 
satisfy  them  all. 

It  is  unquestionably  true  that  the  conquest  of  French 
Canada,  by  setting  the  British  colonists  free  from  the  fear  of 
French  aggression  and  rendering  the  protection  of  the  mother 
country  no  longer  necessary  to  them,  opened  the  door  for  their 
revolt.  But  this,  again,  to  say  the  least,  is  no  proof  that  the 
colonies  had  been  oppressed  by  the  mother  country.  Had  she 
left  the  French  power  on  this  continent  unassailed  in  order  that 
it  might  bridle  them,  her  councils  might  have  been  reasonably 
.branded  with  Machiavelism  and  bad  faith. 

The  ostensible  cause  of  this  civil  war,  of  the  schism  in  our 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         35 

race  and  the  violent  rending  of  its  realm,  must  be  confessed, 
I  submit,  to  have  been  inadequate.  In  their  hearts  the  people 
felt  it  to  be  so,  and  their  feeling  showed  itself,  I  cannot  help 
thinking,  in  the  languid  prosecution  of  the  war  on  the  revolu- 
tionary side.  States  fail  to  send  their  contingents  or  their 
contributions,  the  armies  are  always  melting  away,  brave  men 
leave  the  camp  on  the  eve  of  battle,  the  Federal  cause  is  served 
without  enthusiasm  ;  only  the  local  resistance,  where  the  people 
were  fighting  for  their  homes  as  well  as  on  their  own  ground,  is 
really  strong.  Better  materials  for  soldiers  never  existed,  and 
the  colonies  must  have  set  out  with  many  thousands  of  men 
trained  in  colonial  or  Indian  wars.  The  royal  armies  were  about 
the  worst  ever  sent  out  from  England,  and  every  possible 
blunder,  both  military  and  moral,  was  committed  by  the  royal 
generals,  who  allowed  advantages  to  slip  from  their  hands  which 
Wolfe  or  Clive  would  certainly  have  made  fatal  while  they 
estranged  multitudes  of  waverers  who  were  inclined  to  return  to 
their  allegiance.  Yet  Washington's  last  words  before  the 
arrival  of  succor  from  France  are  the  utterance  of  blank 
despair.  "  Be  assured,  "  he  writes  to  Laurens,  the  agent  in 
France,  in  April,  1771,  "  that  day  does  not  follow  night  more 
certainly  than  it  brings  with  it  some  additional  proof  of  the 
impracticability  of  carrying  on  the  war  without  the  aid  you  were 
directed  to  solicit." 

Nor  is  it  only  of  want  of  zeal  and  vigor  that  Wash- 
ington and  those  who  shared  his  responsibility  complain ; 
they  complain,  and  complain  most  bitterly,  of  self-seeking, 
of  knavery,  of  corruption,  of  monopoly  and  regrating, 
heartlessly  practised  in  the  direst  season  of  public  need,  of 


j6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History , 

murderers  of  the  cause  who  were  building  their  greatness  on 
their  country's  ruin.  They  complain  that  stock-jobbing,  pecu- 
lation, and  an  insatiable  thirst  for  riches,  have  got  the  better 
of  every  other  consideration  in  almost  every  order  of  men,  and 
that  there  is  a  general  decay  both  of  public  and  of  private 
virtue.  In  order  that  contractors  may  fatten,  armies  go  unfed 
and  unclothed,  tracing  the  line  of  their  winter  march  with 
blood  from  their  shoeless  feet.  Congress  pays  its  debts  with 
paper  which  it  tries,  like  the  French  Jacobins,  to  force  into 
circulation  by  penal  enactment,  and  which,  like  the  French 
assignats,  opens  an  abyss  of  robbery,  breach  of  contract  and 
gambling  speculation,  an  abyss  so  foul  that  Tom  Paine  himself 
afterwards  proposed  that  whoever  suggested  a  return  to  paper 
money  should  be  punished  with  death.  Washington's  indig- 
nant hand  lifts  a  corner  of  the  veil  of  secrecy  which  covered 
the  proceedings  of  Congress  and  the  life  of  its  members  at 
Philadelphia.  There  was  at  least  as  much  public  spirit  among 
these  people  as  there  was  among  any  other  people  in  the 
world.  But  the  cause  had  not  been  sufficient  to  call  it  forth. 
As  soon  as  the  tar  barrels  of  revolutionary  excitement  had  burned 
out,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty  failed.  The  insur- 
gents of  the  Netherlands,  when  they  struggled  onwards  through 
wave  after  wave  of  blood  to  independence,  had  behind  them 
the  hell  of  Spanish  rule.  The  American  insurgents  had  behind 
them  no  hell,  but  a  connection  in  which  they  had  enjoyed  the 
substantial  benefits  of  freedom ;  and,  after  tasting  civil  war, 
most  of  them  probably  wished  that  things  could  only  be  as  they 
had  been  before. 

The  relation  between  a  dependent  colony  and  the  imperial 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         jy 

country,  I  repeat,  was  probably  from  the  beginning  false.  At 
all  events  separation  was  inevitable ;  it  was  impossible  that  the 
Anglo-Saxon  realm  in  both  hemispheres  should  remain  forever 
under  one  government,  when  the  hour  of  political  maturity  for 
the  colonies  had  arrived,  especially  as  there  was  a  certain 
difference  of  political  character  between  the  Anglo-Saxon  of 
the  old  country  and  the  Colonist  which  prevented  the  same 
policy  from  being  equally  suitable  to  both.  What  is  to 
be  deplored,  if  any  foresight  or  statesmanship  could  have 
prevented  it,  is  the  violent  rupture.  What  was  to  be 
desired,  if  human  wisdom  with  the  lights  which  men  then 
possessed  could  have  achieved  it,  was  that  the  two  poitions  of 
our  race  should  have  divided  its  realm  in  peace.  Shelburne 
and  Pitt  seem  to  have  wished  and  tried,  when  the  struggle  was 
over,  to  get  back  into  something  like  an  amicable  partition  of 
the  Empire.  Among  other  happy  effects  of  such  a  settlement 
the  fisheries'  dispute  would  have  been  avoided.  But  the  wound 
wns  too  deep  and  too  fresh.  Shelburne  and  Pitt  failed,  and 
tho  two  great  Anglo-Saxon  realms  became  absolutely  foreign 
countries — unhappily,  they  became  for  many  a  day  worse  than 
foreign  countries — to  each  other.  Suppose,  however,  that  not 
only  the  separation  but  the  rupture  was  inevitable ;  because  the 
inevitable  came  to  pass,  were  the  two  branches  of  the  race  to 
be  enemies  forever  ? 

Let  the  Fourth  of  July  orator  ask  himself  what  were  the 
consequences  to  England,  to  America,  to  the  French  monarchy, 
which,  out  of  enmity  to  England,  lent  its  aid  to  American  revo- 
lution, and  to  mankind.  To  England  the  consequences  were 
loss   of   money,   which   she  could   pretty   well  afford,  and  of 


jS  Neiu  Papers  on  Canadian  History ^ 

prestige  which  she  soon  repaired.  The  Count  de  Grasse,  as  the 
monument  at  Yorktovvn  records,  feceived  the  surrender  of 
CornwalHs  who,  hemmed  in  by  three  or  four  times  his  effective 
number,  could  get  no  fair  battle  and  was  taken  like  a  wounded 
lion  pent  up  in  his  lair.  But  Rodney  who  did  get  fair  battle 
did  not  surrender  to  the  Count  de  Grasse.  Spain,  too,  must 
needs  interfere  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  quarrel ;  but  on  the  blood- 
stained and  flame-lighted  waters  of  Gibraltar  sank  the  last 
armament  of  Spain  ;  and  the  day  was  not  far  distant  when  she 
was  to  invoke  the  aid  of  England  as  a  redeemer  from  French 
conquest.  England  went  into  the  fight  with  Napoleon,  for  the 
independence  of  Europe,  as  powerful  and  indomitable  as 
she  had  gone  into  the  fight  with  Philip  II.  or  with  Louis 
XIV.  Her  great  loss  was  that  of  the  political  enlighten- 
ment which  she  might  have  received  from  an  experiment  in 
democracy  tried  by  a  kindred  people  at  her  side,  while  her 
politics  have  perhaps  been  somewhat  deflected  from  the  right 
line  of  development  by  the  repellant  influence  of  galling 
memories  and  of  friction  with  an  unfriendly  Republic.  The 
colonies  having  been  the  scene  of  war  must  have  lost  more 
men  and  money  than  England,  besides  the  banishment,  when 
the  war  had  closed,  of  no  small  number  of  their  citizens.  This 
loss  they  soon  repaired,  but  they  also  lost  their  history  and  that 
connection  with  the  experiences  and  the  grandeurs  of  the  past 
which  at  once  steadies  and  exalts  a  nation.  What  was  worse 
than  this,  the  Republic  was  launched  with  a  revolutionary  bias 
which  was  the  last  thing  that  it  needed.  At  the  same  time 
there  was  engendered  a  belief  in  the  right  of  rebellion  and  in 
the  duty  of  sympathizing  with  it  on  all  occasions,  which  was 


Artt  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         jg 

destined  to  bear  bitter  fruit  at  last.  The  rebellion  of  the  South 
in  i86i  was  manifestly  inspired  by  sentiments  nursed  and 
consecrated  by  the  Revolution.  I  remember  seeing  some  words 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  his  earlier  days,  on  the  right  of 
rebelling  as  often  as  people  were  dissatisfied  with  their  govern- 
ment, which  it  seemed  to  me  would  have  justified  Southern 
secession. 

Another  consequence  was  the  schis'n  of  the  race  on 
this  continent,  issuing  in  the  foundation  of  a  separate  and 
hostile  Canada,  which,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  was  to 
encounter  the  Revolutionary  colonies  in  arms  and  to  defend 
itself  against  them  with  at  least  as  much  energy  and  as  much 
success  as  they  had  defended  themselves  against  England. 
British  emigration,  moreover,  was  diverted  from  America  to 
Australia  ;  Anglo-Saxon  cities  which  might  have  grown  up  here 
grew  up  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe  ;  and  the  Anglo-Saxon 
element  on  this  continent,  in  which  the  tradition  and  faculty  of 
self-government  reside,  was  thus  deprived  of  a  re-inforcement  the 
loss  of  which  is  felt  when  that  element  has  to  grapple  with  a 
vast  influx  of  foreign  emigration  untrained  in  self-government. 

To  the  French  monarchy  the  consequence  was  bankruptcy, 
which  drew  with  it  utter  ruin,  and  sent  the  King  to  the 
scaffold,  and  Lafayette  to  an  Austrian  prison.  To  humanity 
the  consequence  was  the  French  Revolution,  brought  on  by 
the  bankruptcy  of  the  French  monarchy  and  by  the  spirit  of 
violent  insurrection  transmitted  from  America  to  France.  Of 
all  the  calamities  which  have  ever  befallen  the  human  race  the 
French  Revolution,  as  it  seems  to  me,  is  the  greatest.  If  any  one 
is  startled  by  that  assertion  let  him  review  the  history  of  the 


40         -  ■    New  Papers  on  Canadian  History,      ■         . 

preceding  half  century,  see  what  progress  enlightenment  had 
made,  and  to  what  an  extent  liberal  and  humane  principles  had 
gained  a  hold  upon  the  governments  ci  Europe.  Let  him 
consider  how  much  had  been  done  or  was  about  to  be  done  in 
the  way  of  reform  by  Turgot,  Pombal,  Aranda,  Tanucci, 
Leopold  of  Tuscany,  Joseph  of  Austria,  Frederic,  Catherine, 
and  Pitt.  The  American  Revolution  brought  the  peaceful 
march  of  progress  to  a  violent  crisis.  Then  followed  the 
catastrophe  in  France,  the  Reign  of  Terror,  the  military 
despotism  of  Napoleon,  the  Napoleonic  wars,  desolating  half 
the  world  and  lending  ten-fold  intensity  to  the  barbarous  lust 
of  bloodshed,  the  despotic  reaction  of  1815,  another  series  of 
violent  revolutions,  another  military  despotism  in  France, 
with  more  wars  in  its  train  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand.  Communism, 
Intransigentism,  and  all  the  fell  brood  of  revolutionar}'  chi- 
meras to  which  Jacobinism  gave  birth,  and  which,  imported 
into  this  continent  by  political  exiles,  are  beginning  to  breed 
serious  trouble  even  here.  Separation,  once  more,  was  inevi- 
table; but. if  it  could  only  have  been  peaceful  what  a  page  of 
calamity,  crime,  and  horror,  would  have  been  torn  from  the 
book  of  fate  !  ■    ; 

Then  came  the  disastrous  and  almost  insane  war  of  1812, 
an  after-clap  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  So  far  as  that  war 
was  on  the  American  side  a  war  for  the  freedom  of  the  seas  it 
was  righteous.  Nobody  can  defend  the  Orders  in  Council,  or 
the  conduct  of  the  British  government,  and  the  only  excuse  is 
that  Great  Britain  was  then  in  the  agony  of  a  desperate  strug- 
gle, not  for  her  own  independence  only,  but  for  the  indepen- 
dence of  all  nations.     So  far  as  it  was  a  war  of  anti-British 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  41 

feeling  and  of  sympathy  with  Jacobinism,  as  to  a  great  extent 
it  was,  the  protest  of  Webster  and  New  England,  it  appears  to 
me,  may  be  sustained.  That  strife  over  and  its  bitterness 
somewhat  allayed,  there  came  disputes  respecting  the  bounda- 
ries of  Canada  and  at  the  same  time  bickerings  about  the 
slave  trade,  which  England  was  laboring  with  perfect  sincerity 
to  put  down.  Later  still  came  the  quarrel  bred  by  the 
sympathy  of  a  party  in  England  with  Southern  secession.  I 
saw  something  of  that  controversy  in  my  own  country,  stand- 
ing by  the  side  of  John  Bright  against  the  dismemberment  of 
the  great  Anglo-Saxon  community  of  the  West,  as  I  now  stand 
by  the  side  of  John  Bright  against  the  dismemberment  of  the 
great  Anglo-Saxon  community  of  the  East.  The  aristocracy  of 
England  as  a  class  was  naturally  on  the  side  of  the  Planter 
aristocracy  of  the  South,  as  the  Planter  aristocracy  of  the  South 
would,  in  a  like  case,  have  been  on  the  side  of  the  aristocracy 
of  England.  The  mass  of  the  nation  was  on  the  side  of  freedom, 
and  its  attitude  effectually  prevented  not  only  the  success  but 
the  initiation  of  any  movement  in  Parliament  for  the  support  or 
recognition  of  the  South.  If  some  who  were  not  aristocrats  or 
Tories  failed  to  understand  the  issue  between  the  North  and  the 
South,  and  were  thus  misguided  in  the  bestowal  of  their  sym- 
pathies, let  it  in  equity  be  remembered  that  Congress,  when  the 
gulf  oi  disunion  yawned  before  it,  had  shown  itself  ready  not 
only  to  compromise  with  slavery,  but  to  give  slavery  further 
securities,  if,  by  so  doing,  it  could  preserve  the  Union.  Not  a  few 
friends  of  the  Republic  in  England  stifled  their  sympathy  because 
they  deemed  the  contest  hopeless  and  thought  that  to  encourage 
perseverance  in  it  was  to  lure  the  Republic  to  her  ruin.     When 


New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Mr.  Gladstone  proclaimed  that  the  cause  of  disunion  had 
triumphed  and  that  Jeff.  Davis  had  made  the  South  a  nation, 
some  there  were  who  echoed  his  words  with  delight ;  not  a  few 
there  were  who  echoed  them  in  despair.  I  first  visited 
America  during  the  civil  war,  when  the  Alabama  controversy 
was  raging  in  its  full  virulence.  Even  then  I  was  able  to  write 
to  my  friends  in  England  that,  angry  as  the  Americans  were, 
and  bitter  as  were  their  utterances  against  us,  a  feeling  towards 
the  old  country,  which  was  not  bitterness,  still  had  its  place  in 
their  hearts ;  and  it  seems  not  chimerical  to  hope  that  the  feel- 
ing which  was  thus  shown  to  be  the  most  deeply  seated  will  in 
the  end  entirely  prevail.  In  England,  already,  a  display  of  the 
American  flag  excites  none  but  kindly  feelings,  and  the  time 
must  surely  come  when  a  display  of  the  flag  which  American 
and  British  hands  together  planted  on  the  captured  ramparts  of 
Louisburg  will  excite  none  but  kindly  feelings  here. 

The  political  feud  between  the  two  branches  of  the  race 
would  now  I  suppose  be  nearly  at  an  end,  if  it  were  not  for  the 
Irish,  or  rather  for  the  Irish  vote.  I  am  not  going  into  the 
question  of  Home  Rule,  or  as  it  would  more  properly  be 
called,  the  question  of  Celtic  secession.  But  I  wish  to  impress 
upon  my  hearers  one  fact,  which,  unless  it  can  be  denied  or  its 
plain  significance  can  be  rebutted,  is  decisive,  as  it  seems  to  me, 
of  the  Irish  question.  The  north  of  Ireland  is  not  more 
favored  by  nature  than  other  parts ;  its  laws,  its  institutions, 
its  connection  with  Great  Britain  under  the  Union,  are  pre- 
cisely the  same  as  those  of  the  other  provinces  ;  the  only  dif- 
ference is  that,  having  been  settled  by  the  Scotch,  it  is  mainly 
Anglo-Saxon  and  Protestant,  while  the  rest  of  the  Island  is 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  ^j 

Celtic  and  Catholic ;  and  the  north  is  prosperous,  contented, 
law-abiding  and  loyal  to  the  Union.  This  fact,  1  say,  appears 
to  me  decisive,  nor  have  I  ever  seen  an  attempt  on  the  part  of 
secessionists  to  deal  with  it  or  rebut  the  inference.  To  extend 
Anglo-Saxon  constitutionalism  and  legality  to  the  clannish  and 
lawless  Celt,  who  after  the  Anglo-Saxon  settlement  in  England 
still  had  his  abode  in  Cornwall,  Wales,  the  Highlands  of  Scot- 
land, and  Ireland  has  been  a  hard  and  tedious  task.  Cornwall 
was  Anglo-Saxonized  early,  though  traces  of  the  Celtic  temper 
in  politics  still  remain.  Wales  was  Anglo-Saxonized  later  by 
Edward  the  First,  and  the  Kings  his  successors,  who  perfected 
his  work.  The  Highlands  of  Scotland  were  not  Anglo-Saxon- 
ized till  1745,  when  the  last  rising  of  the  Clans  for  the  Pre- 
tender was  put  down,  and  law,  order,  settled  industry,  and  the 
Presbyterian  Church  penetrated  the  Highland  glens  with  the 
standards  of  the  United  Kingdom.  The  struggle  to  make  the 
Celtic  clans  of  Ireland  an  integral  and  harmonious  part  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  realm,  carried  on  from  age  to  age  amidst  un- 
toward and  baffling  influences  of  all  kinds,  especially  those  of 
the  religious  wars  of  the  Reformation,  form  one  of  the  most 
disastrous  and  the  saddest  episodes  of  history  ;  though  it  must 
be  remembered  that  struggles  not  unlike  this  have  been  going 
on  in  other  parts  of  Europe  where  national  unification  was  in 
progress,  without  receiving  so  much  critical  attention  or  making 
so  much  noise  in  the  world.  One  great  man  was  for  a  moment 
on  the  point  of  accomplishing  the  work  and  stanching  forever 
the  source  of  tears  and  blood.  That  Cromwell  intended  to  ex- 
tirpate the  Irish  people  is  a  preposterous  calumny.  To  no 
man  was  extirpation  less  congenial ;  but  he  did  intend  to  make 


44  New  Papers  on  Caradian  History, 

an  end  of  Irishry,  with  its  clannishness,  lawlessness,  supersti- 
tion, and  thriftlessness,  and  to  introduce  the  order,  legality, 
and  settled  industry  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  in  its  place.  To  use 
his  own  expression  he  meant  to  make  Ireland  another  England, 
as  prosperous,  peaceful,  and  contented.  It  is  impossible  that 
British  statesmen  can  allow  a  separate  realm  of  Celtic  lawless- 
ness to  be  set  up  in  the  midst  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  realm  of 
law  ;  if  they  did,  the  consequence  would  be  civil  war,  murder- 
ous as  before,  between  the  two  races  and  religions  in  Ireland, 
then  reconquest  and  a  renewal  of  the  whole  cycle  of  disasters. 
Nor  can  any  government  suffer  the  lives,  property,  and  indus- 
try of  its  law-abiding  citizens  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  a  murderous 
conspiracy,  or  permit  terrorism  to  usurp  the  place  of  the  law. 
Butchering  men  before  the  faces  of  their  wives  and  families, 
beating  out  a  boy's  brains  in  his  mother's  presence,  setting  fire 
to  houses  in  which  men  are  sleeping,  shooting  or  pitch-capping 
women,  boycotting  a  woman  in  travail  from  medical  aid,  mob- 
bing the  widow  as  she  returns  from  viewing  the  body  of  her  mur- 
dered husband,  driving  from  their  calling  all  who  will  not  obey 
the  command  of  the  village  tyrant,  mutilating  dumb  animals 
and  cutting  off  the  udders  of  cows,  blowing  up  with  dynamite 
public  edifices  in  which  a  crowd  of  innocent  sightseers  of  all 
ages  and  both  sexes  are  gathered — these  ore  not  things  which 
civilization  reckons  as  liberties.  They  are  not  things  by  which 
any  practical  reform  can  be  effected,  by  which  any  good  cause 
can  be  advanced.  America  has  seen  something  of  Celtic  law- 
lessness as  well  as  Great  Britain,  and  more  Irish  probably  were 
put  to  death  at  the  time  of  the  draft  riots  in  this  city  than 
have  suffered  under  all  those  special  acts  for  the  prevention  of 


Ai'i,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  4^ 

crime  in  In;land,  miscalled  coercion  acts,  the  verj^  number  and 
frequent  renewal  of  which  only  show  that  the  British  govern- 
ment is  always  trying  to  return  to  the  ordinary  course  of  law. 
Americans  do  not  allow  conspiracy  to  usurp  the  place  of  legal 
authority,  or  one  man  to  deprive  anothei  of  his  livelihood  by 
boycotting  at  his  will  ;  nor  do  I  suppose  that  holders  of  real 
estate   in    New  York  regard   with  philanthropic  complacency 
the  proposal  to  repudiate  rents.     When  the  other  European 
governments  find  it  necessary  to  put  forth  their  force  in  order 
to    oppose   disturbance,   when  Austria  proclaims  a   state  of 
siege,  or  Germany  resorts  to  strong  measures  in  Posen  and 
Alsace-Lorraine,  no  cry  of  indignation   is  heard  ;  when  Italy 
sends  her  troops  to  restore  order  and  crush  an  agrarian  league 
which  is  dominating  by  assassination  and  outrage  like  that  of 
Ireland,  no  American  legislatures  pass  resolutions  denouncing 
the  Italian   government   and    expressing  sympathy  with  the 
Camorra.     It  seems  to  be  believed  that  Ireland  is  governed  as 
a  dependency  by  a  British  Viceroy  with  despotic  power,  who 
oppresses  the   people  at  his   pleasure  or  at  the  pleasure  of 
tyrannical  England.    I  doubt  whether  many  Americans  are  dis- 
tinctly conscious  of  the  fact  that  Ireland  like  Scotland  has  her 
full  representation  in  the  United  Parliament,  and  if  her  mem- 
bers would  act  like  those  from  Scotland,  might  obtain  any 
practical  reform  which  she  desired.     The  Lord-Lieutenant  has 
been  compared  to  an  Austrian  satrapy  in  Italy.      An  Austrian 
satrapy,    with  a   full  representation  of  the  people  in  Parlia- 
ment, a  responsible  executive,  trial  by  jury,  habeas  corpus,  and 
a  free  press !    It   happens   that  thirty   years  ago  the  British 
House  of  Commons  voted  by  an  overwhelming  majority  the 


/f.6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

abolition  of  the  Lord-Lieutenancy  of  Ireland,  but  the  bill  was 
dropped,  as  Lord  St.  Germain,  the  Lord-Lieutenant  of  that 
day  formally  announced,  in  deference  to  the  expressed  wishes 
of  the  Irish  people.        ;,.;;;.:    V'       '• 

I  do  not  blame  Americans  for  misjudging  us;  the  au- 
thority by  which  they  are  misled  is  apparently  the  highest. 
But  they  too  know  what  faction  is,  and  that  in  its  evil  parox- 
ysms it  is  capable  not  only  of  betraying  but  of  traducing  the 
country.  Americans  will  presently  see  that  the  dynamite  of 
Herr  Most  and  that  of  Rossa  is  the  same  ;  that  the  seeds  of 
disorder  and  contempt  for  law  scattered  in  Ireland  will  spring 
up  here  ;  that  war  between  property  and  plundering  anarchy 
impends  in  this  as  well  as  in  other  countries,  and  that  you  can- 
not strengthen  the  hands  of  anarchy  in  one  country  without 
strengthening  them  in  all.  Openly,  and  under  its  own  banner, 
anarchism  is  making  formidable  attempts  to  grasp  the  govern- 
ment of  American  cities.  It  is  not  only  your  neighbor's  house 
that  is  on  fire  and  the  flames  of  which  you  are  fanning,  it  is 
your  own.  Nor  ought  Americans  to  forget  that  they  have  re- 
cently themselves  set  us  an  illustrious  example.  By  them 
Englishmen  have  been  taught  resolutely  to  maintain  the  integ- 
rity of  the  nation,  even  though  it  be  at  the  cost  of  the  most 
tremendous  of  civil  wars. 

But  then  there  is  the  social  friction.  At  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  one  ultra-classical  patriot  proposed  that  the 
language  of  the  new  Republic  should  be  Latin,  forgetting  that 
Latin  was  the  language  of  Nero  and  his  slaves  as  well  as  of  the 
Gracchi.  I  sometimes  almost  wish  that  his  suggestion  had 
been  adopted,  so  that  the  two  branches  of  our  race  might  not 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  47 

have  had  a  common  tongue  to  convey  their  carpings,  scoflfings, 
and  gibings  to  each  other.  English  travellers  come  scurrying 
over  the  United  States  with  notions  gathered  from  Martin 
Chuzzlewit,  seeing  only  the  cities,  where  all  that  is  least 
American  and  least  worthy  is  apt  to  be  gathered,  not  the  farms 
and  villages,  in  which  largely  reside  the  pith,  force,  and  virtue 
of  the  nation ;  ignorant  of  the  modes  of  living  and  travelling, 
running  their  heads  against  social  custom,  carrying  about  their 
own  bath-tubs,  and  dressing  as  though  they  were  among 
hunter  tribes.  Then  they  go  home  and  write  magazine  articles 
about  American  society  and  life,  Americans  go  to  England 
full  of  Republican  prejudice  and  sensitiveness,  with  minds  made 
up  to  seeing  nothing  but  tyranny  or  servility  on  all  sides, — 
ignorant,  they  also,  of  the  ways  of  the  society  in  which  they 
find  themselves,  construing  every  oversight  and  every  word 
that  they  do  not  understand  as  a  studied  insult  not  only  to 
themselves  but  to  their  Republic.  I  was  reading  the  other  day 
a  book  on  British  Aristocracy  by  a  distinguished  American, 
the  lion's  provider  to  one  still  more  distinguished.  He  was  so 
far  free  from  prejudice  as  to  admit  that  English  judges  did  not 
often  take  bribes.  But,  in  English  society,  he  found  a  repulsive 
mass  of  aristocratic  insolence  on  one  side  and  of  abject  flunky- 
ism  on  the  other.  The  position  of  the  men  of  intellect,  the 
Tennysons,  Brownings,  Thackerays,  Macaulays,  Darwins,  Hux- 
leys,  and  Tyndalls  he  found  to  be  that  of  the  Russian  serf,  who 
holds  the  heads  of  his  master's  horses  while  his  master  flogs 
him.  He  represents  the  leaders  of  English  society  as  going 
upon  their  knees  for  admission  to  his  parties,  which  ought  to 
have  mollified  him,  but  did  not.     It  seems  that  when  he  was 


^8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History y 

in  England  there  was  only  one  high-minded  gentleman  there, 
and  even  that  one  was  in  the  habit  of  traducing  the  hospitality 
which  he  enjoyed.  If  people  despise  aristocracy  as  much  as 
they  say  they  do,  would  they  be  likely  to  talk  quite  so  much 
about  it  ?  So  far  from  the  British  people  being  the  most 
abject  slaves  of  aristocracy,  they  are  the  one  nation  in  Europe 
which  would  never  tolerate  the  existence  of  a  noblesse  and 
always  insisted  on  the  equality  of  high-born  and  low-born 
before  the  law.  Aristocracy  has  survived  in  England  for  the 
very  reason  that  there  alone  its  privileges  were  closely  curtailed 
and  its  arrogance  was  jealously  repressed.  In  England,  as  in 
other  countries,  aristocracy  as  a  political  power  is  about  to  pass 
away,  and  there  will  be  other  and  more  rational  guarantees  of 
order  and  stability  for  the  future.  But  I  do  not  believe  that 
the  British  aristocracy  is  worse  than  other  rich  and  idle  classes ; 
I  do  not  believe  it  is  worse  than  the  idle  sons  of  millionaires  in 
New  York.  It  has  at  least  some  semblance  of  duties  to 
perform.  All  its  sins  are  committed  under  an  electric  light  and 
telegraphed  to  a  prurient  world,  which  by  its  very  craving  for 
aristocratic  scandal  shows  that  it  has  a  flunky's  heart.  As  to 
the  pomps  and  vanities  of  life  they  seem  to  me  to  be  pretty 
much  the  same  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Assured  rank, 
indeed,  is  less  given  to  display  than  new  born  wealth.  Surely 
all  our  studies  of  the  philosophy  of  history  and  social  evolution 
have  not  been  utterly  in  vain.  We  ought  to  know  by  this  time 
that  in  a  land  old  in  story  and  full  of  the  traditions  and 
relics  of  the  past,  beneath  the  shadow  of  ancient  cathedrals, 
gray  church  towers,  legendary  mansions  and  immemorial  oaks,— 
a  land,  of  which  the  trim  and  finished   loveliness   bespeaks 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  4g 

fourteen  centuries  of  culture, — the  structure  of  society  cannot 
be  the  same  that  it  is  in  this  New  World.  We  ought  to  have 
philosophy  enough  to  admit  that  a  structure  of  society 
different  from  ours  may  have  graces,  perhaps  even  virtues,  of 
its  own.  The  old  cannot  at  a  bound  become  as  the  new,  nor 
would  it  be  better  for  us  if  it  could.  Americanize  the  planet, 
and  you  will  retard  not  quicken  the  march  of  civilization, 
which,  to  propel  it,  requires  diversity  and  emulation.  England 
may  be  politically  behind  America,  and  have  lessons  to  learn 
from  America  which  she  will  learn  the  more  readily  the  more 
kindly  they  are  imparted.  But  she  is  not  a  land  of  tyrants  and 
slaves.  Her  monarchy  does  not  cost  the  people  more  than 
Presidential  elections.  Good  Mr.  Carnegie,  who  deems  it  the 
special  boon  of  Democracy  that  he  is  perfectly  the  equal  of 
every  other  man,  is  no  more  politically  the  equal  of  a  Boss  than 
I  am  of  a  Duke.  One  liberty  England  possesses,  unless  my 
patriotism  misleads  e,  in  a  degree  peculiar  to  herself,  and 
perhaps  it  is  of  ah  oerties  the  most  vital  and  the  most 
precious.  During  this  Irish  controversy,  terribly  momentous 
and  exasperating  as  it  is  to  us,  Irish  Nationalists  and  American 
sympathizers  with  Irish  nationalism,  have  been  allowed  freely 
to  express  their  opinions  even  in  language  far  from  courteous 
to  Englishmen  through  all  the  magazines  and  organs  of  the 
English  press.  The  English  press  is  under  the  censorship 
neither  of  kings,  nor  of  th  _•  mob.  Perhaps  the  censorship  of 
the  mob  is  not  less  inimical  to  the  free  expression  of  truth,  less 
narrowing  or  less  degrading  than  that  of  kings. 

The  literary  men  of  America,  whose  influence  on  sentiment 
must   be  great,  are  apt  to  be  somewhat  anglophobic.     They 


^o  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

have  reason  to  feel  galled  by  the  unfair  competition  to  which 
the  absence  of  international  copyright  subjects  them.  I  was 
reading,  not  long  ago,  an  American  book  of  travel  in  Italy,  very 
pleasant,  except  that  on  every  other  page  there  was  an  angry 
thrust  at  England,  where  the  writer  told  us  he  would  be  very 
sorry  to  live,  though  it  did  not  appear  that  the  presumptuous 
Britons  were  pressing  that  hateful  domicile  upon  him.  Then, 
after  harping  on  English  grossness,  brutality,  and  barbarism,  he 
goes  to  worship  at  the  shrines  of  Byron,  Keats,  and  Shelley ;  as 
though  the  poetry  of  Byron,  Keats,  and  Shelley  were  anything 
but  the  flower  of  that  plant,  the  root  and  stem  of  which  are  so 
coarse  and  vile.  A  Confederate  flag  is  descried,  floating 
probably  over  the  home  of  some  exile,  on  the  Lake  of  Como. 
The  writer  is  transported  with  patriotic  wrath  ac  the  sight. 
Two  Englishmen  on  board  the  steamer,  as  he  tells  us,  grin  ;  and 
he  takes  it  for  granted  that  their  grinning  is  an  expression  of 
their  British  malignity ;  yet,  surely,  it  may  have  been  only  a 
smile  at  his  emotion,  at  which  the  reader,  though  innocent  of 
British  malignity,  cannot  possibly  help  smiling.  "  Heaven 
knows,"  a  character  is  made  to  say  in  an  American  novel  now  in 
vogue, "  I  do  not  love  the  English.  I  was  a  youngster  in  our 
great  war,  but  the  iron  entered  into  my  soul  when  I  understood 
their  course  towards  us  and  when  a  gallant  young  sailor  from 
our  town,  serving  on  the  Kearsage  in  her  fight  with  \.\\^  Alabama 
(that  British  vessel  under  Confederate  colors)  was  wounded 
by  a  shot  cast  in  a  British  arsenal,  and  fired  from  a  British 
cannon  by  a  British  seaman  from  the  Royal  Naval  Reserve 
transferred  from  the  training-ship  Excellent^  The  writer  shows 
that  by  the  very  way  in  which  he  strives  to  color  the  facts  that 


Art,  Science,  Literahire,  and  Commerce.  5/ 

he  knows  the  charge  here  levelled  against  the  British  govern- 
ment  and  nation  to  be  unjust ;  and  art  ill  fulfills  her  mission 
when  she  propagates  false  history  for  the  purpose  of  keeping 
up  ill-will  between  nations. 

The  soldiers,  by  whom  it  might  be  supposed  that  the 
traditions  of  hostility  would  be  specially  preserved  and  cherished, 
I  have  usually  found  not  bitter ;  but  soldiers  seldom  are. 

When  Mr,  Ingalls,  or  Mr.  Fry,  pours  out  his  vocabulary 
upon  England  and  upon  us  who  rejoice  in  the  name  of  English- 
men, I  want  to  ask  them,  whether  Ingalls  and  Fry  are  not 
English  names.  These  gentlemen  must  have  very  bad  blood 
in  their  own  veins.  Their  education  too  must  have  been  poor, 
if  it  is  on  English  literature  that  their  minds  have  been  fed. 
The  character  of  races,  though  perhaps  not  indelible,  is  lasting. 
It  passes  almost  unchanged  through  zone  after  zone  of 
history.  The  Frenchman  is  still  the  Gaul  ;  the  Spaniard  is 
still  the  Iberian.  Abraham  still  lives  in  the  Arab  tent.  Yet 
we  are  asked  by  American  anglophobists  to  believe  that  of  two 
branches  of  the  same  race,  which  have  been  parted  only  for  a 
single  century,  and  have  all  that  time  been  under  the  influence 
of  the  same  literature  and  similar  institutions,  one  is  a  mass 
of  brutality  and  infamy,  while  the  other  is  unapproachable 
perfection. 

There  has  no  doubt  been  a  certain  division,  both  of  char- 
acter and  of  achievement,  between  the  Anglo-Saxon  of  the  old 
country  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  of  the  New  World.  The  Anglo- 
Saxon  of  the  New  World  has  organized  Democracy,  with  the 
problems  of  which,  after  the  Revolution,  he  was  distinctly 
brought  face  to  face  ;   whereas  the  Anglo-Saxon  of  the  old 


§2  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

country,  having  glided  into  Democracy  unawares,  while  he 
fancied  himself  still  under  a  monarchy  because  he  retained 
monarchical  forms,  is  now  turning  to  his  brother  of  the  New 
World  for  lessons  in  Democratic  organization.  With  the 
Anglo-Saxon  of  the  old  country  has  necessarily  hitherto 
remained  the  leadership  of  literature  and  science,  which  the 
race  has  known  how  to  combine  in  full  measure  with  political 
greatness.  With  the  Anglo-Saxon  of  the  old  country  have 
also  remained  the  spirit  of  Elizabethan  adventure  and  the 
faculty  of  conquering  and  of  organizing  conquest.  Surely,  in  the 
British  Empire  in  India,  no  Anglo-Saxon  can  fail  to  see  at  all 
events  a  splendid  proof  of  the  valor,  the  energy,  the  fortitude, 
and  the  governing-power  of  his  race.  Remember  how  small  is 
the  number  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  who  rule  those  two  hundred 
and  fifty  millions.  Remember  that  since  the  establishment  of 
British  rule  there  has  never  been  anything  worthy  the  name  of 
a  political  revolt,  that  at  the  time  of  the  great  mutiny  all  the 
native  princes  remained  faithful,  that  when  Russia  threatened 
war  the  other  day  one  of  them  came  zealously  forward  with 
offers  of  contributing  to  the  defence  of  the  Empire.  Remember 
that  the  Sikhs,  with  whom  yesterday  England  was  fighting 
desperately  for  ascendancy,  are  now  her  best  soldiers,  while 
their  land  is  her  most  flourishing  and  loyal  province.  Yet  we 
are  told  that  the  Anglo-Saxon  can  never  get  on  with  other 
races !  It  is  not  on  force  alone  that  the  British  Empire  in 
India  is  founded ;  the  force  is  totally  inadequate  to  produce 
the  moral  and  political  effects.  The  certainty  that  strict  faith 
will  always  be  kept  by  the  government  is  the  talisman  which 
makes  Sepoy  and  Rajah  alike  loyal  and  true.     In  an  American 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  §j 

magazine,  the  other  day,  appeared  a  rabid  invective  against 
British  rule  by  one  of  those  cultivated  Hindoos,  Baboos  as  they 
are  called,  who  owe  their  very  existence  to  the  peace  of  the 
Empire,  and  if  its  protection  were  withdrawn  would  be  crushed 
like  egg-shells  amidst  the  wild  collision  of  hostile  races  and 
creeds  which  would  ensue.  The  best  answer  to  the  Baboo's 
accusations  is  the  freedom  of  invective  which  he  enjoys,  and 
which  is  equally  enjoyed  by  the  native  press  of  India.  What 
other  conqueror  could  ever  afTord  to  allow  perfect  liberty  of 
complaint,  and  not  only  of  complaint  but  of  denunciation  to 
the  conquered  ?  We,  gentlemen  of  the  Canadian  Club  of  New 
York,  heirs  not  of  the  feuds  of  our  race,  but  of  its  glorious 
history,  its  high  traditions,  its  famous  names,  can  look  with 
equal  pride  on  all  that  it  has  done,  whether  in  the  Old  World 
or  in  the  New,  from  New  York  to  Delhi,  from  Winnipeg  or 
Toronto  to  Sidney  or  Melbourne,  and  rejoice  in  the  thought 
that  though  the  roll  of  England's  drum  may  no  longer  go  with 
morning  around  the  world,  and  though  the  sun  may  set  on 
England's  military  empire,  morning  in  its  course  round  the 
world  will  forever  be  greeted  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  tongue  and 
the  sun  will  never  set  on  Anglo-Saxon  greatness. 

And  if  in  the  breast  of  any  American  envy  is  awakened  by 
the  imperial  grandeur  of  his  kinsmen  in  the  Old  World, 
perhaps  there  is  a  thought  which  may  allay  his  pain.  Power 
in  England  is  passing  out  of  the  hands  of  the  imperial  classes, 
and  those  which  gave  birth  to  the  heroic  adventurers,  into  those 
of  classes  which,  whatever  may  be  their  other  qualities,  are 
neither  imperial  nor  heroic.  It  seems  to  be  the  grand  aim  of 
statesmen,  by  protective  tariffs  and  ecocomical   legislation  of 


^4  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

all  kinds,  to  call  into  existence  factory-life  on  as  large  a  scale 
as  possible,  as  though  this  were  one  thing  needed  to  make 
communities  prosperous  and  happy.  Wealth,  no  doubt,  the 
factory-hand  produces,  and  possibly  he  may  prove  hereafter  to 
be  good  material  for  the  community  and  the  Parliament  of 
Man,  but  he  is  about  the  worst  of  all  material  for  the  nation. 
He  is  apt  to  be  a  citizen  of  the  labor  market  and  to  have  those 
socialistic  or  half-socialistic  tendencies  with  which  patriotism 
cannot  dwell.  England  has  been  inordinately  enrich^-d  by  the 
vast  development  of  her  manufactures.  But  for  her  force, 
perhaps  even  for  her  happiness,  it  would  be  better  if  Yorkshire 
streams  still  ran  unpolluted  to  the  sea  and  beside  them  dwelt 
English  hearts.  It  seems  at  all  events  scarcely  possible  that 
such  an  electorate  should  continue  to  hold  and  administer  the 
Indian  Empire.  .      ,      :  -,       .  ;, 

Some  day  we  may  be  sure  the  schism  in  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race  will  come  to  a  end.  Intercourse  and  intermarriage,  which 
are  every  day  increasing ;  the  kindly  words  and  acts  of  the 
wiser  and  better  men  on  both  sides;  the  influence  of  a  common 
literature  and  the  exchange  of  international  courtesies  and 
good  ofTfices — these,  with  all-healing  time,  will  at  last  do 
their  work.  The  growing  sense  of  a  common  danger  will 
cause  Americans,  if  they  hold  property  and  love  order,  to  give 
up  gratifying  their  hatred  of  England  by  fomenting  disorder 
in  Ireland.  The  feud  will  cease  to  be  cherished,  the  fetish  of 
hatred  will  cease  to  be  worshipped,  even  by  the  meanest 
members  of  either  branch  of  the  race.  No  peddler  of  inter- 
national rancor  will  then  be  any  longer  able  to  circulate  his 
villain   sheets  and    rake   up  his   shekels   by   trading   on   the 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,  ^§ 

lingering  enmity  of  the  Anglr.'"  ,-.  i  of  the  New  World  to  his 
brother  beyond  the  sea.  But  between  the  two  branches,  of  the 
race  which  the  Atlantic  divides,  the  only  bond  that  can  be 
renewed  is  that  of  the  heart ;  though  I  have  sometimes 
indulged  a  thought  that  there  might  at  some  future  day  be  an 
Anglo-Saxon  franchise,  enabling  a  member  of  any  English- 
speaking  community  to  take  up  his  citizenship  in  any  other 
English-speaking  commr.iity  without  naturalization,  and  that, 
in  this  manner,  the  only  manner  possible,  might  be  fulfilled  the 
desire  of  those  who  dream  of  Imperial  Federation.  But  the 
relations  of  the  English-speaking  communities  of  Canada  to 
the  English-speaking  communities  of  the  rest  of  this  continent 
are  manifestly  destined  by  nature  to  be  more  intimate.  I  do 
not  speak  of  political  relations,  nor  do  I  wish  to  raise  the  veil 
of  the  future  on  that  subject ;  but  the  social  and  commercial 
relations  of  Canada  witn  the  United  States  must  be  those  of 
two  kindred  communities  dwelling  not  only  side  by  side,  but 
on  territories  interlaced  and  vitally  connected  in  regard  to  all 
that  concerns  commerce  and  industry  with  each  other,  while 
united  these  territories  form  a  continent  by  themselves.  In 
spite  of  political  separation,  social  and  commercial  fusion  is  in 
fact  rapidly  going  on.  There  are  now  large  colonies  of  Cana- 
dians south  of  the  line,  and  Anglo-Saxons  from  Canada  occupy, 
so  far  as  I  can  learn,  not  the  lowest  grade,  either  in  point  of 
energy  or  of  probity,  in  thehierarchy  of  American  industry  and 
trade.  One  name  at  all  events  they  have  in  the  front  rank  of 
American  finance.  Of  those  American  fishermen,  between 
whom  and  the  fishermen  of  Canada  this  dispute  has  arisen,  not 
a  few,  it    seems,   are  Canadians.     Not   a    little   of   Canadian 


^6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History^ 

commerce  on  the  other  hand  is  in  American  hands.  The 
railway  system  of  the  two  countries  is  one  ;  and  they  are  far 
advanced  towards  a  union  of  currency.  Of  the  old  estran- 
gement, which  the  Trent  afTair  for  a  moment  revived,  almost 
the  last  traces  have  now  disappeared  and  social  reconciliation  is 
complete.  It  is  time  then  that  the  Anglo-Saxons  on  this 
continent  should  set  aside  the  consequences  of  the  schism  and 
revert  to  the  footing  of  common  inheritance,  instituting  free- 
trade  among  themselves,  allowing  the  life-blood  of  commerce 
to  circulate  freely  through  the  whole  body  of  their  continent, 
enjoying  in  common  all  the  advantages  which  the  continent 
affords,  its  fisheries,  its  water-ways,  its  coasting-trade,  and 
merging  forever  all  possibility  of  dispute  about  them  in  a 
complete  and  permanent  participation.  The  Fisheries  dispute 
will  have  been  a  harbinger  of  amity  in  disguise  if  it  leads  U3  at 
last  to  make  a  strenuous  effort  to  bring  about  a  change  so 
fraught  with  increase  of  wealth  and  other  benefits  to  both 
countries  as  Commercial  Union.  The  hour  is  in  every  way 
propitious  if  only  American  politicians  will  abstain  from 
insulting  or  irritating  England,  whose  consent  is  necessary,  by 
reckless  efforts  to  capture  the  Irish  vote.  Let  us  not  allow 
the  hour  to  pass  away  in  fruitless  discussion,  but  try  to 
translate  our  wishes  into  actions.  Nor  need  any  Canadian  fear 
that  the  political  separation  to  which  perhaps  he  clings  will  be 
forfeited  by  accepting  Commercial  Union.  A  poor  and  weak 
nationality  that  would  be  which  depended  upon  a  customs 
line.  Introduce  free-trade  at  once  throughout  the  world  and 
the  nationalities  will  remain  as  before.  Abolish  every  custom- 
house on  the  Pyrenees,  France  and  Spain  will  still  be  nations 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  57 

as  distinct  from  each  other  as  ever.  If  political  union  ever 
takes  place  between  the  United  States  and  Canada,  it  will  not  be 
because  the  people  of  the  United  States  are  disposed  to  aggres 
sion  upon  Canadian  independence,  of  which  there  is  no 
thought  in  any  American  breast,  nor  because  the  impediments 
to  commercial  intercourse  and  of  the  free  interchange  of 
commercial  services  will  have  been  removed,  but  because 
in  blood  and  character,  language,  religion,  institutions,  laws 
and  interests,  the  two  portions  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  on 
this  continent  are  one  people. 


^^e^  '€<^  d^^^ 


THE  GREAT  CANADIAN  NORTH-WEST. 


BV 


A\v.  JOHN  C.  ECCLESTON,  D.  D. 


(     Read  before  the  Canadian  Club 
\  of  A\-u<  York. 


NWARD  has  been  the  march  of 
Canada  in  the  path  of  progress 
through  the  development  of  its  rail- 
way system  and  the  enlargement  of 
its  canals.  Therefore,  and  for  two 
special  reasons,  I  gladly  accept  the 
honor  conferred  upon  me  by  your 
kind  invitation  to  address  you  this 
evening  upon  "  the  resources  of  the 

Dominion  of  Canada — as  developed  by  the  recently  completed 

Canadian  Pacific  Railroad." 

First, — Because    it   affords   me   a  fitting    opportunity  to 

acknowledge  my  personal  indebtedness  to  Sir  George  Stephen, 


6o  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

and  Mr.  W.  C.  Van  Home  for  their  great  kindness  in  extend- 
ing to  me  the  courtesies  of  their  road,  whereby  I  had  the 
experience  of  a  most  thoroughly  enjoyable  summer  vacation. 

Second, — Because  I  am  glad  to  have  a  chance  to  tell  my 
countrymen  of  the  "  States  "  (for  I  am  sure  they  are  for  the 
most  part  as  ignorant  as  I  was),  some  things  they  ought  to  know, 
something  about  this  great  Dominion  of  the  North,  just  knit 
together  by  this  Iron  Nexus  into  one  grand  Confederation, 
reaching  from  ocean  to  ocean,  and  advancing  with  giant  strides 
to  imperial  power.  '  ' 

We  have  been  so  long  accustomed  to  see  Canada  figure 
on  our  maps  as  a  narrow  strip,  with  scattered  villages  and 
towns  along  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  great  lakes,  with 
innumerable  smaller  lakes  and  rivers,  that  it  is  difficult  for  us 
to  realize  that  a  rival  nation,  with  a  territory  vastly  larger 
than  the  whole  American  Union  (not  counting  Alaska)  and 
hardly  eighteen  years  old,  has  arisen  upon  our  borders,  and 
like  a  young  giant,  set  about  making  a  glorious  future  for 
itself ;  building  up  great  manufactories,  levelling  the  mountains, 
fillinf^-  up  the  valleys,  bridging  the  rivers  of  the  continent, 
digging  canals,  constructing  thousands  of  miles  of  railroad, 
whereby  to  consolidate  its  empire,  and  make  accessible  its 
boundless  natural  resources  of  timber,  mines  and  agricultural 
lands. 

We  are  in  the  habit  of  laughing  at  the  mistakes  of  English 
writers  and  tourists,  concerning  the  geography  of  the  United 
States,  but  this  ignorance  about  America  is  rot  half  so  great  as 
the  ignorance  of  most  of  our  people  respecting  a  country  which 
is  at  our  very  doors. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  6i 

The  battle  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham  (Sept.  13,  1759) 
determined  the  ascendancy  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  and 
tongue  in  Arnerica.  When  the  news  of  Montcalm's  defeat  and 
death  reached  Paris,  Voltaire,  with  his  characteristic  flippancy, 
said  :  "  Well,  we  are  well  rid  of  1 5,000  K;igues  of  snow  and  ice." 

Madame  de  Pompadour  rejoiced,  and  said  :  "  Now  that 
Montcalm  is  dead,  the  King  will  have  some  peace " !  But 
the  people  of  France,  who  had  gloried  in  the  heroic  deeds  of 
Cartier,  Champlain  and  De  Salle,  and  the  zealous  labors  of  the 
martyred  missionary  fathers  in  the  New  World,  mourned  over 
the  loss  with  a  sore  lamentation. 

The  Marquis  de  Choiseul,  upon  whom  devolved  the 
humiliating  duty  of  signing  the  treaty  of  peace,  was  discon- 
solate. Turning  to  the  British  plenipotentiary,  he  said  :  "  We 
shall  be  avenged :  so  long  as  France  held  Canada,  your  Ameri- 
can colonies,  needing  your  protection  against  a  foreign  power 
on  their  border,  had  to  remain  submissive,  but  now  that  you 
have  driven  us  away,  they  will  rebel  against  your  authority, 
and  assert  their  independence."  We  need  not  stop  to  relate 
how  the  Frenchman's  prophecy  was  verified,  how  in  process  of 
time,  the  thirteen  American  colonies  rebelled  against  King 
George,  not  that  they  loved  the  mother  country  (old  England) 
less,  but  because  they  loved  the  liberties  of  Englishmen  more, 
how  during  the  terrible  years  of  the  revolution,  the  tide  of  a 
fratricidal  war  raged  along  the  shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
the  great  lakes. 

But,  all  this  is  of  the  past.  We  rejoice  that  our  lot  has 
fallen  on  better  days,  that  the  strife  of  angry  contention  is 
forever  ended — the  sword  supplanted  by  arbitration,  and  that 


62  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

henceforth,  the  only  contest  there  can  ever  be  between  these 
two  branches  of  the  great  Anglo-Saxon  race,  will  be  which  of 
the  two  can  best  improve  the  magnificent  inheritance  God  has 
divided  between  them  in  the  western  world. 

MONTREAL. 

The  rattling  of  the  train  through  the  Victoria  Bridge  (one 
mile  and  three-quarters  long),  the  master-piece  of  Brunell  and 
Stephenson,  announced  our  arrival  at  the  city  of  The  Royal 
Mount.  By  ten  o'clock  F.  M.,  I  was  safely  and  most  comfort- 
ably housed  at  the  Windsor  Hotel.  I  made  the  most  of  the 
three  days  I  had  for  viewing  the  city,  and  could  profitably  have 
prolonged  the  time  to  a  week,  so  numerous  are  its  interesting 
sights  and  so  beautiful  its  situation,  that  it  is  considered  by 
many  persons  one  of  the  finest  cities  on  this  continent. 

Three  miles  of  river  frontage  give  ample  room  for  shipping 
of  every  class.  Back  of  it  are,  first  long  lines  of  warehouses  and 
stores,  then  great  massive  public  buildings  and  churches,  and, 
further  on,  palatial  mansions  stretching  westward  to  the  foot  of 
the  mountain.  Indications  of  a  quiet,  inobtrusive  and  substan- 
tial wealth  are  apparent  on  every  side.  It  is  asserted  that 
there  is  no  wealthier  city  area  in  the  world  than  that  which  lies 
between  the  parallelogram  made  by  Beaver  Hall  Hill  and  the 
foot  of  Mount  Royal  on  the  one  hand,  and  Dorchester  and 
Sherbrooke  streets  on  the  other.  The  view  from  the  moun- 
tain, up  and  down  the  river,  and  over  the  Adirondack  Mountains 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  the  Green  Mountains  of 
Vermont,  is  unsurpassingly  grand  and  unique.  The  city  claims 
150,000   inhabitants.      Here   lived   in    former  days  the  great 


Ari,  Science,  Literaiiire,  and  Commerce,  6j 

feudal  lords  of  the  fur-trade  :  the  McTavishes,  the  McCiillimans, 
the  McKenzies  and  the  Frobishers,  and  other  magnates  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  and  the  North-west  companies,  at  the  time  of 
their  greatest  prospenty.  It  was  at  this  spot  that,  from  time 
to  time,  the  Ottawas,  Hurons,  Algonquins  and  other  tribes, 
who  hunted  the  countries  bordering  on  the  great  lakes,  would 
come  down  the  Ottawa  river  in  canoes,  laden  with  rich  peltries, 
and  barter  them  off  for  blankets,  kettles,  guns,  knives,  and  all 
kinds  of  "  fire-water,"  upon  all  which,  the  fur-lords  were  sure  to 
make  a  profit  of  two  or  three  hundred  per  cent.  To-day, 
the  Indian  and  the  beaver,  frightened  alike  by  the  scream  of  the 
iron  horse,  have  retired  to  the  inaccessible  defiles  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  the  fur-lords  have  also  vanished,  but  the 
beautiful  city  they  had  adorned  and  enriched  still  remains  to 
challenge  our  admiration. 

-• 

OTTAWA. 

Before  commencing  our  journey  across  the  continent, 
journey  which  properly  begins  at  Montreal,  we  will  stop  a  few 
hours  at  the  new  and  beautiful  city  of  Ottawa,  the  political—  as 
Montreal  is  the  commercial — metropolis  of  the  Dominion. 
Tossed  backward  and  forward  between  Toronto,  Kingston, 
Quebec  and  Montreal,  the  legislators  of  Canada  have  here 
found  an  abiding  resting  place.  Ottawa  is  beautifully  situated 
upon  high  bluffs,  between  the  spray  and  roars  of  two  headlong 
rivers,  the  Ottawa  and  the  Gatineau.  The  Parliament  buildings, 
which  cover  an  area  of  four  acres  and  which  were  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $5,000,000,  are  in  gothic  style  of  the  Xllth  century, 
unblemished  by  any  surplus  ornamentation.     No  edifices  on 


64  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

this  continent  are  more  imposing  and  pleasing  at  the  same  time 
than  these  buildings.  Built  of  a  cream-colored  sand-stone,  the 
dressings  are  of  Ohio  free-stone,  while  the  arches,  over-windows 
and  doors  are  of  the  warm  Potsdam  red-stone,  a  combination 
of  colors  most  gratifying  to  the  eye.  Ottawa  is  the  centre  of 
the  lumber  interests.  Last  year  the  revenue  of  the  Dominion 
from  the  rental  and  leases  of  its  forest  limits  was  $1,300,000. 
The  number  of  feet  of  lumber  cut  was  1,600,000,000,  repre- 
senting a  value  of  $58,000,000. 

Among  the  far-seeing,  anxiety  is  felt  about  the  prodig- 
ious annual  destruction  of  the  forests,  and  they  do  not  hesitate 
to  declare  that  in  twenty-five  years  at  the  present  rate  the 
lumber  interest  of  the  Dominion  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past. 
One  of  the  main  causes  of  the  forest  waste,  and  one  for  the  most 
part  preventable,  are  forest  fires  kindled  by  hunters  and  others, 
who  take  no  pains  to  extinguish  their  camp-fires  or  cover  the 
embers  with  earth. 

Pioneer  settlers  clear  the  land  by  setting  the  under- 
brush on  fire ;  should  a  strong  wind  arise,  the  flames  sweep 
onwards  with  a  roar  that  is  apalling.  Great  pine  and  cypress 
trees,  of  two  and  three  hundred  years  of  age,  are  shrivelled  up 
like  straws,  the  flames  mounting  almost  in  an  instant  from  the 
roots  to  the  topmost  branches.  The  very  surface  of  the  soil  is 
burnt  up  and  the  fiery  hurricane,  for  thousands  of  acres,  leaves 
nothing  in  its  passage  but  hideous  charred  trunks,  naked  stones 
and  mossless  rocks.  It  is  estimated  that  in  1881,  the  autumn 
fires  in  the  Province  of  Ontario  consumed  $15,000,000  worth 
of  timber. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  6^ 

THE  ORIGIN  AND  INCEPTION  OF  THE  CANADIAN   PACIFIC 

RAILWAY. 

The  daily  express  leaves  Montreal  for  Vancouver  at  8  P.  M., 
or  20  o'clock,  as  they  call  it ;  we  take  the  sleeper  at  Ottawa, 
about  midnight ;  but  before  doing  so,  there  are  several  interest- 
ing preliminaries  deserving  our  attention. 

First,  a  word  about  the  history  of  the  railroad.  As  far  back 
as  185 1,  a  Company  was  projected  at  Toronto  by  Mr.  Allen 
McDonald  and  the  Hon.  Henry  Sherwood,  by  the  name  of  the 
Lake  Superior  and  Pacific  Railroad.  This,  as  well  as  similar 
schemes  by  the  Hon.  A.  W.  Morin  and  Mr.  John  Rose,  came  to 
naught,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  adverse  report  of  Capt.  Palliser 
who  had  been  sent,  in  1857,  by  the  Imperial  Government  to 
survey  and  report  upon  the  several  proposed  routes.  After  a 
four  years'  exploration,  he  pronounced  the  region  of  the 
Laurentides,  around  Lake  Superior  and  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  impracticable  for  a  railroad  (speaking  as  an  engineer), 
and  the  Rockies  as  an  obstacle  not  to  be  overcome.  He 
declared  the  central  part  of  British  America  forever  shut  off 
by  nature  from  both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  seaboards.  But 
Canada,  having  meanwhile  consolidated  her  far  distant  and 
outlying  provinces  into  a  Federal  Dominion,  the  v^uestion  of 
binding  these  several  Provinces  together  into  some  intimate  and 
practicable  union,  became  an  urgent  political  as  well  as  social 
and  commercial  necessity.  Americanizing  influences  were  in 
dangerous  proximity  at  Winnipeg  and  Victoria.  St.  Paul  and 
Portland  and  San  Francisco  were  only  a  few  hours  distant ; 
Ottawa  was  many  weary  days'  journey  remote. 


66  New  Papers  on  Canadia7i  History, 

It  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  upon  the  interminable  and 
fierce  battles,  the  squabbles  and  scandals  of  the  two  rival  parlia- 
mentary parties — the  Liberal  and  Conservative  ;  or  among  the 
greedy  speculators  who  opened  wide  their  mouths  to  swallow 
the  big  plum  of  25,cxx),ooo  acres  of  the  best  wheat-land  in  the 
world,  besides  endless  bonuses,  and  who  gnashed  and  ground 
their  teeth  when  they  failed  to  receive  them.  When  the  Conser- 
vatives returned  to  power  in  1878,  the  work  of  construction, 
meanwhile  undertaken  by  the  Government,  was  pushed  forward 
with  much  energy,  and  the  contract  for  the  British  Columbia 
section,  the  most  difficult  of  all,  was  awarded  to  Onderdonk  &  Co. 
of  New  York.  r     ,         - 

In  1880,  finding  the  labor  too  great,  the  Government  wisely 
determined  to  put  the  construction  of  the  road  in  the  ha'^ds  of 
a  syndicate,  which  subsequently  resolved  itself  into  Com- 
pany. The  syndicate  was  to  receive  from  the  Government 
25,oco,cxX)  acres  of  land,  $25,000,000  in  cash,  und  sections  2 
and  4  completed  were  given  them  as  a  present.  The  con- 
struction of  all  rival  roads  was  prohibited  for  twenty  years,  all 
material  for  construction  was  to  enter  the  Dominion  free  of 
duty,  a  free  gift  was  made  of  all  land  required  for  workshops 
:\nd  stations,  and  an  entire  exemption  of  the  whole  property  of 
the  Company  from  taxation  for  twenty-five  years.  The  road 
was,  in  consideration  of  these  generous  concessions,  to  be 
completed  and  put  in  running  condition  by  May  1st,  1 891. 

The  road  is  divided  into  four  sections,  and  from  Montreal  to 
Callander  it  follows  the  old  Canada  Central  Railroad. 

Section  First  begins  at  Callander  and  ends  at  Port  Arthur, 
657  miles.  -  - 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  6j 

Section  Second,  from  Port  Arthur  to  Red  River,  428  miles. 

Section  Third,  from  Red  River  to  Sarona  Ferry,  I  252 
miles. 

Section  Fourth,  from  Sarona  Ferry  to  Port  Moody,  213 
miles.  r-        ^  s 

Total,  2,555  rniles  from  Callander  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
.  ,  No  sooner  was  the  transfer  to  the  syndicate  accomplished 
than  the  work  commenced  with  unparalleled  vigor.  The  last 
rail  was  laid  and  the  last  spike  driven  on  the  7th  of  November, 
1885.  Thus  in  the  short  period  of  five  years  or  four  years  less 
than  the  contract  with  the  Government  called  for,  the  road  was 
thoroughly  equipped  and  in  running  order. 

CHARACTER  OF  THE   ROAD   AND  ENGINEERING  DIFFICULTIES. 

More  than  300  miles  of  the  road  have  been  cut  through 
the  hardest  rock  known  to  geologists — sienite  and  trap ;  moun- 
tains had  to  be  tunnelled  by  the  score  ;  innumerable  rivers  of 
various  sizes  had  to  be  spanned,  some  by  iron  bridges  over  a 
1, 00a  feet  in  length  ;  one  by  a  wooden  bridge  286  feet  above 
the  water — the  highest  structure  of  its  kind  in  America. 
No  less  than  fourteen  streams  had  to  be  diverted  from  their 
natural  beds,  by  tunnelling  through  the  solid  rock.  The  work 
went  on  summer  and  winter,  sometimes  the  mercury  stood  at 
30  and  40  degrees  below  zero.  On  the  Lake  Superior  section 
there  was  at  one  time  an  army  of  1,200  men,  and  2,000  teams  of 
horses,  which  were  supplemented  in  winter  time  by  300 
teams  of  dogs. 

The   entile    line   is   thoroughly   built   with   the   best    of 


68  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

material,  nothing  was  spared  to  make  it  first  class  in  every 
particular. 

The  rails  are  of  steel,  and  of  English  and  Prussian  manu- 
facture. 

The  passenger  equipment  embraces  many  novelties  not 
found  elsewhere.  The  sleeping  and  dining-room  cars  are  finished 
with  rich  upholstery,  delicate  carvings  and  antique  brass-work, 
solid  English  comfort  and  artistic  effect  have  been  sought  for  in 
every  detail.  Bath-rooms,  for  ladies  and  for  gentlemen,  are  pro- 
vided in  the  sleepers,  and  luxurious  accommodation  for  smokers. 
1  he  fare  in  the  dining-room  cars  is  all  that  the  most  fastidious 
epicure  cculd  ask,  choice  fruits  from  California  are  furnished 
in  season,  all  the  way  across  the  continent. 

THE  CANADIAN   PACIFIC    RAILROAD   BRIDGE  ACROSS  THE 

ST,    LAV/RENCE, 

I  cannot  omit  drawing  your  attention  to  a  great  achieve- 
ment in  railroading  that  has  been  accomplished  by  the  directors 
of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad  during  the  past  summer,  viz, : 
the  bridge  across  the  St,  Lawrence,  about  one  mile  below  the 
village  of  Lachine,  where  the  river  has  a  width  of  3,300  feet  and 
a  depth  of  40  feet.  The  construction  of  this  bridge,  which 
is  only  a  few  miles  above  the  Victoria  bridge,  furnishes  a  fine 
illustration  of  the  great  progress  made  in  the  mechanical 
arts  during  the  last  twenty-five  years.  The  "  Victoria  "  costs. 
$8,000,000  and  six  years  were  consumed  in  its  construction, 
the  "  Canadian  Pacific  "  has  been  completed  in  less  than  one 
year,  at  a  cost  of  less  than  $1,000,000. 

The  masonry  consists  of  two  abutments  and  fifteen  piers. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  6g 

There  are  four  land  spans  of  80  feet  in  length.  Eight  arches 
of  240  feet  each,  of  the  ordinary  Pratt  truss,  span  the  river 
from  both  shores,  while  the  channel  portion  of  the  river  is 
crossed  by  two  flanking  spans  of  270  feet  in  length,  and  two 
through  "  Cantilever  "  spans,  each  408  feet  long,  these  latter 
spans  have  an  elevation  of  60  feet  above  ordinary  summer- 
water  level. 

The  most  difficult  portion  of  the  work  was  that  of  anchor- 
ing the  piers  of  solid  masonry  on  the  rocky  bed  which,  in  some 
instances,  was  not  only  40  feet  below  the  surface  but  covered 
by  a  "  hard  pan  "  deposit  14  feet  in  thickness,  which  had  all  to 
be  removed  in  a  current  of  ten  miles  an  hour.  This  difficult 
task  was  performed  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  R.  J.  Reid 
of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Reid  and  Fleming.  Original  and  most 
ingenious  methods  were  resorted  to.  After  the  bottom  had  been 
carefully  cleaned  off  with  a  dredge,  a  bottomless  caisson  made  of 
square  timber,  with  carefully  caulked  sides,  was  sunk  upon  the 
site  of  the  pier;  once  sunk  the  small  spaces  between  the  rock  and 
the  bottom  of  the  caisson  were  carefully  packed  by  divers  with 
bags  of  concrete.  As  soon  as  this  was  accomplished,  large  iron 
boxes  containing  two  cubic  yards  of  concrete  were  lowered 
inside  the  caisson,  and  by  means  of  a  crank  acting  upon  a  false 
bottom,  the  concrete  was  deposited  in  the  caisson  which  on  an 
average  contained  but  one  foot  of  water.  The  concrete  was 
composed  of  one  part  Portland  cement,  one  part  sand  and 
three  parts  broken  stone.  The  day  after  the  concrete  had 
reached  one-third  the  depth  of  the  caisson,  it  was  found  suffi- 
ciently hardened  to  allow  pumping  and  stop  water  from  entering. 
After  levelling  this  first  course,  it  was  then  ready  to  receive 


yo  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

the  masonry,  which  in  some  cases  Hes  at  a  depth  of  25  feet  from 
the  water  level.  This  system  had  the  double  advantage  of 
avoiding  the  expense,  risk  and  loss  of  time  entailed  by  the  use 
of  coffer-dams  of  old  ;  it  gave  a  solid  and  durable  bed  for 
the  masonry  to  rest  upon, — a  bed  capable  of  resisting  a  head 
of  24  feet  of  water  oiiC  day  after  its  laying,  and  which,  as  time 
goes  on,  will  certainly  become  as  hard  as  rock  itself. 

To  accurately  anchor  the  caissons  in  such  a  rapid  current 
was  considered  to  be  one  of  the  most  difficult  operations  of 
the  whole  work.  This  was  effected  with  the  aid  of  scows, 
anchors,  chains  and  wire-ropes.  For  piers  13  and  14  these 
means  were  not  considered  sufficient  and  entirely  practicable ; 
therefore  a  rough  crib  in  the  shape  of  a  truncated  triangle  was 
primarily  sunk  in  front  of  those  piers,  the  up-stream  end  of  the 
crib  was  10  feet  long,  the  sides  and  lower  end  being  30  feet 
long,  it  was  made  of  pieces  of  timber  10  inches  apart,  thus 
allowing  the  water  to  pass  through  and  reducing  the  pressure 
of  the  current  against  it.  These  cribs  were  easily  held  in  the 
rapid  current^  a  small  quantity  of  stone  was  afterwards  brought 
to  bear  on  their  bottom,  and  as  tiliey  were  filled  with  stones, 
the  latter  stopped  the  current  while  offering  at  the  same  time 
greater  resistance  to  the  pressure  of  the  water ;  when  entirely 
filled  these  cribs  formed  a  large  eddy,  behind  which  the  perma- 
nent caissons  were  floated.  The  eddies  were  so  strong  that 
the  caissons  were  forced  up-stream,  and  instead  of  having  to  haul 
them  against  the  current,  it  required  a  slight  force  to  pull  them 
down  the  stream  into  position. 

Thus  one  of  the  most  difficult  problems  in  the  construction 
of  the  bridge  was  solved   in  a  cheap,  rapid  and  satisfactory 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  a?id  Commerce.  yi 

manner.  When  the  tenders  for  the  masonry  were  called  for  in 
October,  1885,  requiring,  under  penalties,  the  completion  of  the 
foundations  by  the  30th  of  November,  1886,  only  three  contract- 
ors bold  enough  were  found  to  compete  for  the  job.  Engineers 
and  others  who  had  seen  a  similar  work  occupy  the  genius  of 
a  Stephenson  and  a  Brunell  six  years  for  its  construction, 
declared  that  it  was  utterly  impossible  to  perform  the  work 
within  the  specified  time.  The  steel  for  the  superstructure  was 
furnished  by  the  Steel  Company  of  Scotland,  while  the  bridge 
proper  was  constructed  by  the  Dominion  Bridge  Company  of 
Lachine. 

The  whole  of  this  great  work  has  been  executed  under  the 
supervision  of  chief  engineer,  P.  Alex.  Peterson  ;  and  Mr. 
E.  Shaler  Smith,  member  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers,  acted  as  Consulting  Engineer  for  the  superstructure. 

[This  portion  of  the  lecture  was  beautifully  illustrated  by 
an  outline  drawing  of  the  bridge  kindly  furnished  by  Mr.  Van 
Home,  Vice-President  of  the  Canadian  Pacific] 

DIMENSIONS  OF   THE  DOMINION. 

I  alluded  in  the  beginning  of  my  lecture  to  the  ignorance 
of  Americans  respecting  the  geographical  extent  and  resources 
of  Canada. 

Let  us  study  for  a  few  moments  this  fine  chart  of  the 
Dominion,  across  which  you  see  the  track  of  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railroad,  as  indicated  by  the  black  line  passing  over  the 
two  eastern  provinces  of  Quebec  and  Ontario,  covering  290,421 
square  miles,  and  stretching  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to 


y2  New  Papers  oti  Canadian  History, 

the  Red  River ;  fasten  your  eyes  upon  the  vast  region  once 
known  as  the  North-western  provinces  purchased  from  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  in  1870,  and  now  divided  into  four  pro- 
vinces:  Assinaboia,  95,000  square  miles  ;  Saskatchewan,  114,000 
square  miles  ;  Alberta,  100,000  square  miles  and  Athabasca, 
122,000  square  miles.  We  have  in  these  four  provinces  an  area 
of  2,665,252  square  miles,  a  region  larger  than  all  Russia  in 
Europe,  while  the  total  area  of  the  United  States  is  but 
3,547,000  square  miles.  The  world  is  beginniiig  to  find  out 
that  this  vast  region  which  was  once  supposed  to  be  forever 
abandoned  to  the  beaver  and  the  polar  bear,  really  contains 
some  of  the  finest  wheat  and  grazing  lands  of  the  continent.  I 
do  not  allude  now  to  the  comparatively  well-known  resources 
of  Manitoba  and  Assinaboia,  but  of  regions  lying  four  hundred 
miles  north  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad,  as  far  up  as  the 
Wild  Peace  River,  where  has  been  grown  the  No.  i  wheat  which 
received  the  first  prize  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  in  Phila- 
delphia. 

Again,  look  at  this  magnificent  province  of  Manitoba, 
with  its  123,200  square  miles  of  area.  Here  are  75,000,000 
acres,  claimed  by  the  enthusiastic  "  Winnipeggers  "  to  be  the 
wheat-field  of  the  world,  six  million  bushels  of  wheat  found 
their  way  to  the  markets  of  the  province  last  year.  An  expert 
estimates  the  average  yield  per  acre  throughout  Manitoba  at 
18  bushels  per  acre,  of  which  95  per  cent,  will  grade  No.  i 
hard.  For  300  miles  west  of  Winnipeg  and  for  many  miles  on 
either  side  of  the  railroad,  95  per  cent,  of  the  prairie  is  excel- 
lent wheat-land,  a  rich  black  loomy  soil  of  exhaustless  fertility. 
In  the  Qu'Appelle  Valley  there  is  in  successful   operation  a 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  /j 

joint-stock  farm  of  64,000  acres  (100  square  miles).  This  year 
the  proprietors  expected  to  send  500,000  bushels  of  surplus 
wheat  to  the  market.  The  Manitoba  wheat  is  well  known  as 
being  extremely  hard,  yielding  50  per  cent,  more  than 
Minnesota  wheat.  There  are  physical  causes  for  this.  The 
further  you  travel  towards  the  northern  limit  of  its  growth,  the 
finer  the  quality  of  the  soil  you  meet.  The  subsoil,  throughout 
the  intense  heats  and  droughts  of  summer,  is  kept  moist  by  the 
slow  melting  of  the  deep  winter  frosts  ;  the  moisture  reaches  up 
and  nourishes  the  roots  of  the  grain,  and  secures  the  crop, 
although  the  clouds  may  withold  the  later  rains.  Again,  the  sun- 
shine in  this  land  of  the  North  is  longer  just  at  the  needed  time, 
when  the  ears  are  ripening.  Heat  alone  will  not  bring  wheat 
to  maturity,  solar  light  is  also  needed,  and  the  greater  its 
amount  the  better  the  result ;  and  from  the  15th  of  June  to  the 
1st  of  July  there  are  nearly  two  hours  more  day-light  in  Mani- 
toba than  in  Ohio. 

,,  The  valley  of  the  Red  and  Assinaboine  rivers  alone  are 
capable  of  feeding  a  population  of  many  millions.  Lord 
Selkirk  was  ridiculed,  in  1812  when  he  said  these  "  hyperborean 
alluvials  would,  some  day,  maintain  a  population  of  30,000,000 
souls."  The  child  is  born  who  will  see  Lord  Selkirk's  predic- 
tion realized.  Immigrants  are  coming  every  day  and  from 
every  part  of  the  world,  from  Iceland  and  Russia,  Sweden  and 
Scotland  ;  on  foot  and  by  steam,  on  horse-back  and  mule-back, 
and  in  the  slow  lumbering  "  ships  of  the  prairie  " — 

We  hear  the  tread  of  pioneers  of  nations  yet  to  be, 

The  first  low  wash  of  waves  where  soon  shall  roll  a  human  sea. 


7^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

If  Manitoba  is  to  supply  the  world  with  bread,  the  succulent 
beefsteaks  and  blooded  horses  will  come  from  Alberta.  It  is 
the  ranch-ground  of  Canada,  one  vast  area  stretching  from  the 
Red  Deer  River  and  across  the  Bow  Valley  to  the  south  of 
Belly  River.  We  have  reached  here  the  foot  of  the  great 
snow-capped  Rockies,  the  backbone  of  the  continent ;  but,  to 
our  surprise,  there  is  in  the  air  a  warmth  and  a  moisture 
different  from  anything  yet  experienced.  The  climate  is  more 
that  of  England  than  Canada ;  it  is  cooler  in  summer  and 
warmer  in  w'nter  than  in  the  plains  below  and  behind  us. 
The  "chinook"  winds,  wafting  the  moisture  from  the  Kuro 
Siwo— or  Japan  gulf-stream  of  the  Pacific  Ocean — blow  with 
regularity  through  the  defiles  of  the  mountains ;  their  action  so 
temperates  the  atmosphere  during  the  winter  that  snow  seldom 
accumulates  to  any  great  depth,  or  that  severe  cold  weather 
prevails  to  any  great  extent,  not  to  a  sufficient  extent  to 
prevent  cattle  and  horses  from  roaming,  all  the  year  round  and 
uncared  for,  upon  the  thousand  hills  and  surrounding  valleys, 

Calgary,  the  capital  of  Alberta,  is  admirably  situated  on  a 
high  plateau,  at  the  junction  of  the  Elbow  and  Bow  rivers, 
from  whence  there  is  a  superb  view  of  the  distant  peaks  and 
slopes  of  the  mountains.  It  is  about  65  miles  from  the  Rockies, 
and  840  miles  from  Winnipeg. 

The  atmosphere  is  a  marvel  of  purity  and  clearness, 
objects  ten  miles  away  appear  to  be  only  two  miles  distant. 
Words  spoken  in  ordinary  tones,  at  half  a  mile  distance,  can  be 
heard  distinctly.  If  I  thought  of  emigrating  to  the  Dominion, 
Alberta  would  certainly  be  my  choice. 

Finally,  let  us  look  at  that  great  Province  or  empire,  as 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,  75 

British  Columbia  might  be  justly  called.  Its  area  of  341,305 
square  miles,  is  larger  than  Great  Britain  and  France  combined, 
and  five  times  as  large  as  all  the  New  England  States.  You 
see  the  road  upon  which  we  are  to  travel  cutting  across  the 
three  great  mountain  ranges  that  divide  it :  the  Rocky,  the 
Selkirk  and  the  Gold.  How  audacious  the  attempt  to  run  a 
train  of  cars  over  this  seemingly  inextricable  tangle  formed  by 
raging  torrents,  treacherous  glaciers  and  abrupt  mountains, 
presenting  the  aspect  as  if  a  vast  molten  sea,  lashed  by  titanic 
forces  into  gigantic  billows,  had  been  suddenly  petrified  at  the 
extreme  height  of  the  storm  ! 

Fifty  years  ago,  this  great  Province  was  virtually  unknown 
to  the  trappers  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  In  1843  a 
fur-governor  was  stationed  at  Fort  Camosun,  now  the  beautiful 
city  of  Victoria,  to  receive  the  valuable  pelts  which  the  Indians 
brought  in  from  the  interior.  Though  it  cannot  yet  be  said  of 
this  Province  that  it  is  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  yet 
it  is  a  beautiful  country,  endowed  by  nature  with  fertile  fields, 
rich  mines,  the  grandest  scenery  in  North  America,  and  a  mild 
and  salubrious  climate. 

EN   ROUTE   FOR  VANCOUVER. 

But  let  us  retrace  our  imaginary  steps,  and  begin  at  the 
starting  point  of  our  journey  of  five  days  and  twelve  hours. 

Having  secured  at  Montreal  our  sleeping  accommodation 
through  to  the  Pacific,  we  take  the  daily  express  train  at 
Ottawa  about  midnight,  and  going  immediately  to  bed, 
wake  up  the  next  morning  to  find  the  train  skirting  the 
shores  of  the  beautiful  Lake  Nipissing.     The  Jesuit  mission- 


/<5  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

aries  found  the  Indians  residing  around  this  Lake  so  beset  with 
spirits  and  infested  by  demons,  that  they  called  it  "  The  Lake 
of  the  Sorcerers."  It  abounds  with  fish  of  great  size,  affording 
fine  sport  for  experts  of  the  rod  and  reel ;  deer  and  cariboo  are 
plentiful  about  its  shores.  Nipissing  was  repeatedly  crossed 
by  Champlain  in  his  foreys  against  the  Iroquois,  and  was  in 
the  direct  line  of  communication  used  by  the  Hudson  Bay 
voyageurs  and  its  agents  in  their  annual  trips  from  Montreal  to 
Fort  William. 

During  all  of  the  next  thirty  hours  we  traverse  a  region  for- 
bidding to  the  eye  ;  it  is  a  puzzle  to  geologists  and  is  destined 
for  all  times  to  be  a  cause  of  despair  to  the  agriculturist.  We 
are  in  the  region  of  the  "  Laurentides"  or  "  Laurentian  Hills," 
that  gigantic  granite  chain  which  rises  on  the  coast  of  Lab- 
rador, and,  after  forming  the  northerly  wall  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
Valley,  sends  one  of  its  spurs  down  into  the  state  of  New  York, 
where  it  towers  up  into  the  majestic  Adirondacks,  another  spur 
circles  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  whilst  a  third  one 
sweeps  northward  and  westward  and  finally  sinks  into  the 
icy  sea. 

Professor  Agassiz  expressed  the  opinion  that  this  Lauren- 
tian range  was  the  oldest  land  on  our  globe,  the  first  to  lift  its 
head  above  the  primeval  waters,  and  obey  the  almighty  ^^z".- 
"  Let  the  dry  land  appear."  Vegetation  has  a  hard  struggle 
here  with  the  rocks  and  crags,  hewn  into  every  shape  by  the 
storms  of  years,  and  the  boulder-strewn  beds  of  antidiluvian 
lakes  and  rivers ;  but  stores  of  minerals  of  incalculable  wealth 
lie  buried  in  the  bosom  of  these  hills. 

At  Sudburg  junction  (444  miles  from  Montreal)  the  much 


Art,  Science,  Liierahtre,  and  Commerce.  yy 

abused  "  Algoma  Mills"  branch  juts  off,  93  miles  to  Georgian 
Bay.  This  branch  road  will  be  soon  extended  to  Sault 
Ste.-Marie,  and  there  will  connect  with  the  projected  road  from 
Duluth.  The  Canadian  Pacific  Company  have  opened  at  a 
point  six  miles  north-west  of  Sudburg,  copper  mines  of 
wonderful  promise.  The  ores  are  sulphides  containing  an 
average  of  16^  per  cent,  in  copper.  An  expert  says,  "  I  feel 
safe  in  saying  there  are  here  two  hundred  million  tons  of  ore 
in  sight,  and  above  the  surface  of  the  country." 

As  Port  Arthur  is  approached,  the  glorious  scenery  of  Lake 
Superior  and  Thunder  Bay  make  an  impression  which  the 
traveller  will  never  forget.  Thunder  Cape,  like  a  mighty 
janitor  of  the  harbor,  rises  abruptly  1,400  feet  above  the  lake. 
Across  the  water,  the  dark  mass  of  the  McKay's  mountains 
looms  up  majestically,  while  Pie  Island  sits  astride  the  mouth 
of  the  harbor  like  a  huge  Monitor  at  anchor.  These  three 
gigantic  upheavals  stand  in  massive  dignity,  like  three  em- 
perors, each  with  a  cloudy  crown  about  his  head. 

Six  miles  from  Port  Arthur  is  the  rival  and  once  famous 
settlement  of  Fort  William.  When  the  North-west  Fur 
Company  was  in  its  glory.  Fort  William  was  the  place  where 
the  leading  partners  from  Montreal  proceeded  in  great  state, 
once  a  year,  to  meet  their  agents  and  factors  from  the  various 
trading-posts  of  the  northern  wilderness,  to  discuss  the  affairs 
of  the  Company  and  arrange  plans  for  the  future.  Wrapped 
in  rich  furs,  their  huge  canoes  freighted  with  every  convenience 
and  luxury,  and  manned  by  Canadian  voyageurs,  these  fur- 
lords  ascended  the  Ottawa  and  the  Matawan  to  Lake 
Nipissing,    thence   up    the    French  River   to  Lake  Superior. 


y8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

They  had  a  retinue  of  cooks  -ind  bakers,  casks  of  choice 
wines,  delicacies  of  every  kind,  in  fact  everything  necessary  for 
the  banquets  which  were  indispensable  adjuncts  of  these  great 
meets.  In  an  immense  wooden  building  was  the  great  council 
hall  and  which  also  served  as  a  banqueting  hall,  decorated 
with  Indian  arms  and  acoutrements,  and  trophies  of  the  fur- 
trade  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.    :  .  ; 

There  was  a  vast  deal  of  solemn  deliberation,  hard  Scottish 
reasoning  and  drinking.  The  tables  groaned  under  the  weight 
of  game  of  all  kinds :  venison  from  the  woods,  fish  from  the 
lakes,  with  hunters'  delicacies,  such  as  buffalo  tongue  and 
beaver  tail,  and  various  luxuries  from  London,  all  served  up 
by  experienced  cooks.  -        .     -  ^, 

While  the  chiefs  thus  revelled  in  the  Hall  and  made  the 
rafters  resound  with  bursts  of  loyalty  and  old  Scottish  songs, 
chanted  in  voices  cracked  and  sharpened  by  northern  blasts 
and  blizzards,  their  merriment  was  echoed  and  prolonged  by  a 
mongrel  legion  of  Canadian  half-breeds,  Indian  hunters  and 
vagabond  hangers-on,  who  feasted  sumptuously  on  the  crumbs 
that  fell  from  the  tables,  and  made  the  welkin  ring  with  old 
French  ditties,  mingled  with  Indian  yelps  and  yellings. 

The  feudal  state  of  Fort  William  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  Its 
banquet  hall  is  deserted,  its  council  chamber  in  ruins  and  the 
fur-lords  of  the  lakes  and  forests  have  vanished  forever  like 
the  buffalo  and  the  beaver.  Three  hundred  miles  from  Port 
Arthur,  we  reach  Rat  Portage,  the  capital  of  the  enormous 
but  not  prepossessing  district  of  Keewatin,  the  "  country  of  the 
north  wind,"  and  the  "  Lake  of  the  Woods* "  station.  This 
lake, — once  supposed  to  be  the  source  of  the  Mississippi  River, 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,  /p 

and  the  starting-point  for  a  boundary  line  in  every  treaty 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States, — is  1 80  miles 
long  and  a  veritable  paradise  for  hunters,  fishermen  and  the 
lovers  of  nature,  in  her  inner  sanctuaries.  It  is  a  favorite 
place  for  summer  excursionists  from  Winnipeg,  and  unequalled 
as  a  place  for  camping  parties.  ^    ;  .  ^  ■'  '     ^  ;  -  - 

Pierre  Jaultier  de  Varennnes,  Lord  of  Vcrendroge,  built 
forts  on  the  islands  of  this  lake  one  hundred  years  before  Lewis 
and  Clark  saw  the  waters  of  the  "  great  river  of  the  west."  It 
was  here  one  of  Verendroge's  sons,  a  Jesuit  priest,  and  twenty 
men  were  massacred  by  the  Sioux.  The  lake  is  so  profusely 
dotted  with  islands  that  it  seems,  as  it  shifts  and  winds  about 
in  its  devious  channel,  like  a  wondrously  beautiful  river. 

Just  half  way  across  the  continent,  1,434  miles  from 
Montreal,  1,486  miles  from  Vancouver  and  1,827  miles  from 
New  York,  we  reach  the  city  of  Winnipeg,  the  ambitious  rival 
of  Chicago.  It  is  one  of  the  "seven  wonders"  of  the  New 
World — whatever  the  other  six  may  be  ;  it  is  the  central  city 
of  the  continent  and,  probably  within  the  very  near  future,  one 
of  the  largest. 

In  1870,  when  General  (now  Lord)  Wolseley  t cached 
Manitoba  to  quell  the  Red  River  rebellion,  all  there  was  of 
Winnipeg  consisted  in  a  few  huts  and  cottages  erected  by  the 
pioneers  close  to  the  walls  of  Fort  Garry,  as  a  protection  against 
the  knives  and  tomahawks  of  the  savages.  To-day  it  is  a  proud 
city  of  30,000  inhabitants,  with  substantial  and  beautiful 
buildings  and  churches,  which  would  do  credit  to  London  and 
New  York ;  it  claims  four  hundred  business  houses ;  more 
than  fifty  manufacturing  establishments,  fifty  good  hotels  and 


So  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

over  a  dozen  banking-houses.  Last  year,  6,000,000  bushels  of 
wheat  passed  through  the  Winnipeg  elevators.  Three  daily 
papers  furnish  the  citizens  the  news  of  the  world.  Six 
railroads  center  at  Winnipeg  and  discharge  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  crowds  of  tourists,  emigrants,  farmers,  merchants, 
and  fill  the  streets  with  a  busy,  bustling  concourse  that  reminds 
one  of  Broadway  or  Charing  Cross.  I  spoke  of  six  different 
railroads,  but  soon  there  will  a  seventh,  which,  according  to  the 
sanguine  projectors,  is  destined  to  revolutionize  the  traffic  of 
the  continent. 

Sir  Hugh  Sutherland,  President  of  the  Manitoba  and 
Hudson  Bay  Railway,  promises  that  in  two  years'  lime  trains 
will  be  running  from  Winnipeg  to  Churchill  Harbor — Hudson 
Bay — a  distance  of  715  miles.  From  Winnipeg  to  Liverpool, 
via  Hudson  Bay,  is  but  3,641  miles,  that  is  783  miles  less  than 
by  way  of  Montreal,  and  1,052  miles  shorter  than  by  Chicago. 

It  is  claimed  by  the  projectors  of  this  new  route  that  it 
will  considerably  shorten  the  distance  between  the  two  great 
empires  of  the  East  and  England's  principal  shipping  port. 
Between  Liverpool,  China  and  Japan,  a  gain  of  1,117  miles  is 
made  over  the  Montreal  route,  while  a  gain  of  2,136  miles  will 
be  effected  over  the  San  Francisco  and  New  York  route.  Tae 
new  route  will  not  only  control  the  wheat  traffic  of  all  the 
north-western  Provinces  of  the  Dominion,  but  likewise  that 
of  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Montana  and  Washington  Territory. 
The  farmer  shipping  direct  to  Liverpool  via  Hudson  Bay, 
will  receive  at  least  15  per  cent,  more  for  his  grain  and  save 
the  interference  of  middlemen. 

Time  will  prove  the  truth  or  fallacy  of  these  fond  hopes. 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  8i 

Deriding  skeptics  say  that  the  first  ship  loaded  with  wheat  that 
gets  blocked  up,  and  has  to  spend  six  months  in  the  ice  of 
Hudson  Strait,  will  prick  this  bubble  into  flatulency.  Others 
affirm  that  a  safe  and  expeditious  passage  can  be  depended 
upon  five  months  in  the  year. 

Evidently  Sir  Hugh  believes  in  the  road,  and  as  the 
government  has  guaranteed  the  interest  on  $5,000,000  worth  of 
bonds,  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the  road  will  be  completed. 

The  next  step  in  order  will  be  the  building  of  a  branch 
road  to  Fort  Yukon  ;  and  that  wonderful  child,  already  spoken 
of,  may  yet  see  the  iron  horse  careering  down  the  valley  of  the 
Yukon  and  cooling  his  heels  in  the  icv  waters  of  Behring  Sea. 

Taking  again  our  point  of  departure  at  Winnipeg,  we  have 
a  stretch  of  800  miles  of  prairie  before  reaching  the  foot  of  the 
Rockies.  We  pass  on  our  way  the  thriving  town  of  Brandon 
(which,  before  it  was  a  year  old,  had  grown  into  a  city  of  2,500 
inhabitants),  and  reach  Regina,  the  capital  of  the  new  territory 
of  Assinaboia.  Regina  is  the  head-quarters  of  the  *'  mounted 
police,"  the  most  efficient  organized  body  of  500  men  in  the 
world — the  terror  of  evil-doers  in  general  and  rumsellers  and 
drinkers  in  particular. 

Having  already  spoken  in  my  preliminary  remarks  of  the 
Province  of  Alberta,  and  its  capital  Calgary,  we  pause  once  more 
before  climbing  the  mountains,  at  Bauff,  which  is  destined,  like 
the  Hot  Springs  of  Arkansas,  to  be  the  great  sanitarium  for 
rheumatic  and  other  diseases  of  a  chronic  nature.  Here,  at  a 
great  elevation,  surrounded  by  snow-clad  mountains,  we  found 
hot  sulphur  springs  of  varying  temperatures. 

I   met  a  man  who  told  me    that   he  had  suffered  such 


82  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

tortures  from  chronic  rheumatism  that,  despairing  of  rehef,  he 
had  come  to  these  springs  resolved  to  kill  himself  if  he  did  not 
find  relief.  After  a  few  weeks  bathing,  his  limbs  relaxed  from 
their  fearful  distorted  condition,  pain  and  agony  subsided,  and 
finally  he  was  perfectly  restored  to  health.  The  Canadian 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  are  erecting  a  first-class  hotel  on  the 
spot,  having  every  convenience  for  tourists  and  invalids,  and 
unquestionably  Bauff  is  destined  for  an  important  future. 

OVER   THE   MOUNTAINS. 

Forty-two  miles  from  Calgary -up  the  Valley  of  the  Bow 
River — we  reach  the  foot  of  the  hills,  and  the  scenery  becomes 
beautiful  beyond  description.  At  Padmore,  904  miles  from 
Winnipeg,  we  are  in  the  midst  of  the  mountains,  however  the 
soil  is  still  good  and  productive.  The  Stoney  Indians,  the  best 
in  the  North-west,  own  large  herds  of  cattle  and  horses,  and 
hunt  the  wild-sheep  and  goats,  the  mountain-deer  and  the  small 
fur  animals  of  the  mountain  parks.  Great  mineral  wealth  is 
believed  to  exist  in  this  portion  of  the  route,  not  only  gold  and 
silver  mines,  but  extensive  and  accessible  coal-fields,  both 
bituminous  and  anthracite. 

The  "  Yellow  Head  "  pass — far  to  the  north  of  the  present 
route  and  near  the  source  of  the  Fraser  river — was  the  point 
first  chosen  for  crossing  the  Rockies,  but  after  long  and 
continued  explorations  the  line  was  located  thence  down  the 
North  Thompson.  However,  after  the  road  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  a  syndicate  by  the  government,  an  air-line  from 
Winnipeg  was  decided  upon,  and  the  gap  of  the  Bow  River, 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  8j 

known  henceforth  as  the  Kicking  Horse  River — so-called  from 
the  refractory  steed  of  the  engineer  who  mapped  out  the 
international  boundaries — was  the  point  finally  chosen  to  cross 
the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  adoption  of  this  route  saved  loo  miles,  while  the  road 
on  that  account  was  not  more  difficult  to  build  nor  more 
heavily  graded  than  on  the  longer  northern  line,  and  its 
natural  resources  in  land  and  minerals  much  greater.  The 
highest  peak  above  the  pass  was  named  Mount  Stephen,  after 
the  President  of  the  road.  The  bed  of  the  road  in  the  pass 
reaches  an  altitude  of  5,300  feet  above  the  sea-tevel,  but  its 
approaches  from  the  east  do  not  exceed  the  grade  of  40  feet  to 
the  mile,  save  in  the  upper  five  miles  of  the  Bow  River  where 
the  rise  reaches  75  feet  per  mile.  The  work  of  construction 
was  easy  through  this  pass. 

The  licenery  here  is  grand  beyond  description,  with  beau- 
tiful peaks  and  abrupt  mountains  5,000  and  6,000  feet  high. 
It  is  generally  cold  at  night,  but  the  "chinook"  winds  do  not 
allow  the  snow  to  remain  long  on  the  ground,  save  upon  the 
summit  of  the  mountains.  Sometimes  a  heavy  snow-storm  is 
seen  raging  far  above,  while  the  sun  shines  in  the  valleys  below. 

The  summit  itself  is  a  plateau  four  miles  long  dotted  with 
three  lakes.  The  first,  going  west,  is  Summit  Lake,  the  source 
of  Summit  Creek  ;  the  second.  Link  Lake,  seems  to  have  neither 
exit  nor  entrance,  no  visible  supply  and  no  outlet ;  whilst  the 
third  and  largest  is  the  source  of  the  noisy,  impetuous  Kicking- 
Horse  River,  which  springs  from  its  parent  head,  a  wild,  strong 
stream  50  feet  wide,  gaining  in  volume  and  speed  as  it  rushes 
down  the  Kicking  Horse  Valley.    Although  the  total  length 


84  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History^ 

of  this  river  is  but  47  miles,  its  fall,  until  it  finally  merges  with 
the  broad  Columbia,  the  great  river  of  the  west,  is  over  2,8cx) 
feet  The  railway  follows  the  Kicking  Horse  River  for  45 
miles,  and  upon  this  plateau  the  work  was  not  only  extremely 
heavy,  but  the  gradients  and  curves  were  more  difficult 
than  any  yet  encountered  on  the  route.  The  lowest  gradient 
obtained  was  1 16  feet  to  the  mile,  or  about  I  in  45  ;  this  rate 
of  descent  is  maintained  for  17  miles  in  one  stretch.  The 
heaviest  work  had  to  be  performed  upon  the  upper  part  of  the 
plateau  ;  here,  in  the  distance  of  six  miles,  three  tunnels  of  an 
aggregate  length  of  1,800  feet  had  to  be  constructed,  and  the 
Columbia  had  to  be  crossed  three  times.  The  work  on  the 
next  ten  miles  was  tolerably  easy  although  the  gradient  was 
heavy ;  the  lower  part  of  the  plateau  has  two  or  three  tunnels 
of  about  1,400  feet ;  the  river  is  crossed  no  less  than  eight  times, 
and  the  same  heavy  gradient,  with  curves  of  ten  degrees,  or 
573  feet  radius,  had  to  be  resorted  to. 

The  road  follows  the  Beaver  River  to  the  summit  of  the 
Selkirk  range,  which  is  96  miles  from  the  summit  of  the  Rockies^ 
and  is  about  1,000  feet  lower,  or  4,316  feet  above  sea-level.  In 
the  ascent  the  heavy  gradient  of  1 16  feet  to  the  mile  is  agairi 
resorted  to  for  about  16  miles,  and  then  for  20  miles  further  on 
in  descending  the  western  slope. 

At  the  head  of  the  Loop,  a  magnificent  glacier  sweeps 
down  almost  to  the  very  edge  of  the  rails.  More  glaciers  are 
seen  in  the  distance,  but  this  one  towers  upwards  to  the  cloud 
line,  just  back  of  the  station.  A  comfortable  hotel  is  being 
erected  at  the  toot  of  the  glacier,  where  tourists  can  enjoy  a. 
refreshing  sojourn  and  explore  the  mountain  of  ice. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  8^ 

The  whole  region  between  the  main  range  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  the  Pacific  is  a  vast  disturbed  rock  formation. 

For  800  miles  in  i.  north-west  and  south-east  direction 
there  is  a  valuable  belt  of  metalliferous  rocks,  and  in  addition 
much  of  the  country  is  heavily  wooded.  The  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway  having  penetrated  here,  the  whole  of  this  immense 
mining  district  has  now  a  great  future,  and  the  gold  of  the 
Columbia  and  Kootenay  rivers  as  well  as  the  galena  along 
Kootenay  Lake  is  made  accessible.  The  country  lying  around 
the  mother  lakes  of  the  Columbia,  and  much  of  the  Kootenay 
River  valley,  is  interspersed  with  forest  and  prairie  lands 
favorable  to  settlement,  and  admirably  adapted  for  cattle  rais- 
ing. It  only  needs  means  of  communication  to  make  it  equal 
to  any  part  of  the  Dominion.  The  "  bunch "  grass,  which 
grows  constantly  and  is  green  at  heart,  even  in  mid-winter,  is 
one  of  the  most  valu^'ule  pasture  grass  in  the  world,  and  is 
found  everywhere  in  abundance,  even  at  an  altitude  as  high  as 
3,000  feet  above  the  sea-level.  The  climate  in  the  Kootenay 
district,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Shuswap  Lake,  is 
very  much  like  the  mountainous  portion  of  P'rance,  whilst 
west  of  the  Rockies  to  the  Pacific  it  compares  favorably  with 
that  of  the  south  of  England. 

The  vast  region  surrounding  the  beautiful  Shuswap  Lake, 
close  to  the  railroad  Station  of  Sicamous,  is  a  veritable  haven 
for  the  lovers  of  the  gun  and  rod  ;  as  much  can  be  said  of  the 
district  in  the  vicinity  of  the  famous  Okanagan  Lake,  which  is 
reached  by  the  same  railroad  station  and  thence  by  the  Spila- 
macheen  River.  The  water  of  these  lakes  is  alive  with  fish, 
and  their  surface  which  is  seen  from  the  car-windows,  is  liter- 


86  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

ally  covered  with  swan,  geese  and  ducks  of  every  variety.  The 
Okanagan  region  is  also  famous  for  its  delicious  bunch  grass, 
and  it  is  claimed  that  its  valleys  can  produce  the  finest  wheat 
in  the  world. 

The  tourist  should  not  fail  to  stop  at  Yale,  where  the 
scenery  is  magnificently  beautiful,  affording  all,  in  the  form  of 
raging  torrent  and  snow-crowned  mountain,  that  the  most  vivid 
imagination  can  paint.  If  time  can  be  spared  a  visit  to  the 
once  famous  Cariboo  gold  mines,  up  the  roaring  Frazer  River, 
will  well  repay  the  traveller.  Here  may  be  found  wild  mountain 
scenery  unsurpassed  foi  crrandeur  on  our  globe,  and  yet  in  the 
midst  of  this  wildness  then;  isa  vegetation  luxuriant  in  freshness. 
V-'^he'-ever  there  is  a  crevice,  even  at  the  very  base  of  the  snow- 
clad  peaks,  are  found  clumps  of  the  beautiful  Douglass  pine  ; 
lower  down,  and  wherever  a  handfull  of  soil  can  rest,  are  myriads 
of  wild-flowers  and  lilies  of  the  valley. 

Skirting  further  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Frazer  River  to 
within  a  few  miles  of  New  Westminster — where  the  river  leaves 
the  Frazer  Valley  and  crosses  th  .  lowlands  of  the  Pitt  River 
marshes — the  road  reaches  Port  Moody,  at  the  extremity  of  the 
southern  arm  of  Buward  Inlet.  The  grand  terminus  of  the 
Canadian  Pacific  Railway  is  established  at  Vancouver,  six  miles 
further  down  the  Inlet,  where  the  government  of  British  Colum- 
bia has  given  the  railroad  company  a  tract  of  land  nine  square 
miles  in  extent.  Here  is  the  prospective  site— as  I  was  told — of 
the  great  metropolis  of  the  Pacific  coast,  a  contemplated  rival 
of  San  Francisco.  I  was  offered  a  building  lot  25x50  feet, 
with  the  primitive  forest  still  standing  on  it,  for  $1,000,  but  I 
did  not  purchase  it.     Meanwhile,  as  an  injunction  at  present 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  8y 

hinders  the  train  from  running  through  to  Vancouver,  we  have 
to  take  the  steamer  at  Port  Moody  for  Victoria,  75  miles 
distant  across  the  Gulf  of  Georgia,  which  is,  for  all  passengers, 
the  real  terminus  of  the  road. 

*^  VANCOUVER   ISLAND. 

The  termini  question  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  has 
been  a  cause  of  great  anxiety  to  dwellers  on  the  Pacific  slope 
of  the  Dominion,  and  the  occasion  of  no  little  bad  blood  on 
the  part  of  disappointed  speculators.  Sir  John  A.  Macdonald, 
with  his  wonted  astuteness,  essayed  to  cut  the  gordian-knot  at 
a  reception  given  him  by  the  people  of  Victoria  last  August. 

"  We  are  not,  said  he,  to  be  limited  to  Halifax,  Quebec, 
Montreal  or  British  Columbia,  whether  it  be  Port  Moody  or 
Victoria — the  termini  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  are 
Liverpool  and  Hong-Kong  !  " 

Victoria,  the  chief  city  of  the  island,  and  the  capital  of 
the  Province,  is  a  charming  place  ;  it  has  a  population  of  12,000 
which  is  increasing  rapidly.  Founded  in  1843  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  it  received  the  name  of  Fort  Camosun.  In  1845, 
in  honor  of  the  Prince  Consort,  the  name  was  changed  to  that 
of  Albert,  but  later  on  and  in  the  same  year,  it  was  definitely 
named  Victoria.  ^'■'';  •. :  "  -^  ■      :y-r--,  ■■'-■.■-:•■. ■:^i  H- ,  •.;*.■ 

In  1857-58,  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  main-land  attracted 
crowds  of  adventurers,  and  Victoria  experienced  the  same  kind 
of  "boom"  that  cursed  Winnipeg  in  1882.  Thirty  thousand 
gold  hunters  from  California  and  the  American  territories 
invaded  the  Province,  and  made  incursions  into  the  wilds  of 


88  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

the  Frazer  River  placers.  The  destruction  of  the  fur-trade  and 
the  almost  total  disorganization  of  society  were  the  results  of 
this  invasion.  A  few  hundreds — surviving  to  famine  and  every 
hardship — secured  bags  of  gold  ;  but  the  rest  perished  miser- 
ably, or  drifted  back  to  Victoria,  demoralized  and  ruined. 
During  this  period  of  aggressive  rowdyism,  the  main-land  was 
constituted  into  a  colony. 

In  1866,  Vancouver  Island  was  legislatively  united  to  the 
main-land  and  the  name  of  British  Columbia  was  given  the 
colony,  which  became  in  1871  a  Province  of  the  Dominion. 
Until  the  first  train  from  Montreal'arrived  at  Port  Moody,  the 
Union  was  little  better  than  one  on  paper;  but  now,  with 
daily  trains  bringing  mails  and  passengers  in  twelve  days  from 
England,  with  her  three  hundred  miles  of  gold-bearing  quartz 
mountains,  her  splendid  harbors,  her  coal-fields,  her  fisheries 
and  forests,  the  future  of  British  Columbia  is  assured.  She  is 
destined  to  gravitate  to  the  very  front  rank  of  the  communities 
on  the  Pacific,  if  not  to  become  some  day  the  strongest  and 
richest  Province  of  the  Dominion. 

The  climate  of  Victoria  is  the  most  equable  in  the  world. 
The  winter  is  especially  mild,  the  mercury  seldom  reaching  the 
freezing  point.  The  summer  is  temperate,  heat  seldom  rising 
above  y2° .  Southerly  winds  prevail  two-thirds  of  the  year. 
Summer  lasts  from  April  to  October ;  flowers  bloom  out-doors 
the  whole  year.  And  yet  in  Victoria  we  are  here  six  degrees 
north  of  Quebec,  in  latitude  50.  The  softness  of  the  climate  is 
due  to  "  Kuro  Siwo,"  which  brings  the  warmer  temperature  of 
the  Japan  and  China  seas,  in  the  same  way  as  the  gulf-stream 
tempers  the  climate  of  the  British  Islands.     The  weather  of 


Art,  Science^  Literature,  and  Commerce.  8g 

Vancouver  Island  is  said  by  those  who  have  thoroughly  tested 
the  matter  to  be  milder  and  more  agreeable  than  that  of  the 
south  of  England,  the  summers  longer  and  finer,  the  winters 
shorter  and  less  rigorous.  > 

:  The  harbor  proper  of  Victoria  is  small,  with  a  difficult  pass  ; 
but  the  adjacent  harbor  of  Esquimault,  across  a  narrow  neck 
of  land,  affords  all  the  requisites  of  a  first-class  naval  station. 
The  Imperial  Government  is  spending  large  sums  here,  and 
in  the  outer  royal-roads  the  largest  men-of-war  can  ride 
safely. 

At  an  early  future  Esquimault  will  undoubtedly  be  the 
emporium  of  an  immense  trade  with  the  Asiatic  ports,  and 
fortnightly  lines  of  first-class  steamers,  subsidized  by  the  Home 
Government,  will  ply  regularly  between  Victoria,  Hong-Kong 
and  Australia. 

The  coast  fisheries  are  almost  illimitable,  and  their  capab- 
ilities have  hardly  been  put  to  contribution  ;  yet,  the  principal 
species  are  halibut,  salmon,  cod  and  herring.  In  some  of  the 
narrow  estuaries  and  bays,  at  flood-tide  the  water  is  so  densely 
packed  with  salmon  struggling  to  reach  a  spawning-ground, 
that  it  is  actually  possible  sometimes  to  lay  boards  upon  the 
backs  of  the  swarms  and  walk  over  dry  shod.  Halibut,  from 
lOO  to  500  lbs.,  are  common.  For  ten  cents  Ii.dians  will  furnish 
enough  fish  to  feed  ten  men.  Herring  are  raked  out  of  the 
water  by  boat  loads.  ^  »^  ■  \ 

Here  is  a  grand  and  exhaustless  industry  awaiting  develop- 
ment ;  and,  as  if  Providence  had  designed  to  indicate  a  way  to 
utilization,  salt-springs  of  great  value,  yielding  3,446  gr.  of  salt 
to  each  gallon  of  water,  have  been  discovered  near  Nanaimo. 


^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

It  would  pay  the  Dominion  Government  a  handsome  dividend 
to  transport  bodily  the  starving  population  of  the  icy  coasts  of 
Labrador  to  the  prolific  shores  of  British  C<^lumbia. 

Some  day  the  wheat-fields  of  Manitoba  may  become 
exhausted  and  refuse  to  yield  their  tribute  ;  the  forests  of 
Ontario  and  Quebec  may  perish  before  the  woodman's  axe  and 
the  devastating  flames,  but  the  riches  of  the  ocean  are  inex- 
haustible, and  each  recurrent  tide  will  bring  to  the  inhabitants 
of  this  favored  land  abundant  food. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  have  detained  you  longer  than 
was  my  purpose,  but  my  excuse  for  this  encroachment  upon 
your  patience  and  comfort  lies  in  the  fact  that  even  a  partial 
development  of  the  subject  under  consideration  was  out  of 
proportion  to  the  one-hour  time  to  which  I  should  have  con- 
fined myself.  I  may  have  been  incoherent  and  sometimes 
perhaps  inconsequential  in  my  remarks  ;  but  I  shall  be  content 
if  I  have  succeeded,  even  in  an  imperfect  degree,  in  diffusing  a 
knowledge  of  what  Lord  Beaconsfield  once  happily  phrased  : 
"  The  boundless  regions  and  illimitable  possibilities  of  the  great 
North-west." 

In  concluding,  I  may  be  permitted  to  remark  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Canadian  Club  of  New  York,  that  my  countrymen, 
the  great  people  of  the  United  States,  entertain  no  petty 
jealousies  for  such  noble  competitors  as  I  have  told  you  of 
to-night,  but  taking  only  into  account  the  good  secured,  they 
hail  with  joy  the  opening  of  this  new  route  to  the  riches  of  the 
mighty  West.  The  honors  of  knighthood  were  never  more 
worthily  bestowed  by  royalty  upon  any  subject,  than  by  Her 
Majesty  Queen  Victoria  upon  the  President  of  the  Canadian 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce. 


9' 


Pacific  Railroad,  Sir  George  Stephen,  in  recognition  of  his 
great  abilities  and  persevering  industry  in  bringing  this  great 
work  to  so  speedy  and  happy  a  completion. 


THE    HUMOROUS   SIDE   OF   CANADIAN 
r  HISTORY. 


/.  IV.  BENGOUGH,  Editor  Toronto  Grip 


A 


Read  before  the  Canadian  Club 
of  New  York.     . 


AN  I  convey  to  you,  in  the  hour 
at  my  disposal,  as  much  solid 
information  as  you  may  be  in  need 
of?  Probably  yea,  because  the 
lectures  given  in  this  course,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Canadian  Club, 
hc./e  naturally  pertained  to  that 
glorious  country,  Canada.  But,  so 
far  as  I  am  aware,  no  speaker  has 
yet  dealt  systematically  with  the  history  of  Canada. 

Pending  the  arrival  of  Mr,  Goldwin  Smith,  who  is  at 
present  engaged  umpiring  for  the  foot-ball  club  at  Cornell, 
I  propose  to  devote  my  hour  to  the  subject  suggested,  and  in 
case  Mr.  Smith  should  feel  offended  by  my  intrusion  into  his 
special  domain,  I  will  endeavor  to  mollify  him  in  advance  by 


g^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

making  a  pretty  portrait  of  him  right  here.  [A  rapid  sketch 
here  set  forth  a  picture  at  once  recognized  by  the  audience  as 
—not  Goldwin  Smith— but  Mr.  Whitelavv  Reid.] 

Perhaps,  before  going  on,  I  ought  to  apologize  to  the 
American  portion  of  my  audience  for  not  having  chosen  a  theme 
of  greater  novelty  to  them  than  the  History  of  Canada.  I  had 
anticipated  an  audience  made  up  chiefly  of  Canadians,  but  it  is 
too  late  now  to  rectify  the  mistake.  I  am  well  aware  that  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States  are  just  as  familiar  with  Canada, 
her  history  and  her  affairs,  as  they  are  with  Chinese  Tartary, 
and  I  can  hardly  hope  to  tell  them  anything  they  do  not  know. 
But  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Canada  and  the  Republic  have 
many  features  in  common,  besides  baseball,  and  that  many 
more  or  less  distant  relatives  of  American  citizens  are  residing 
in  that  country,  having  in  a  few  cases  been  struck  somewhat 
suddenly  by  its  charms  as  a  place  of  residence,  and  having 
since  exhibited  a  clinging  affection  for  it,  which  few  native 
Canadians  can  rival,  it  seems  to  me  that  all  will  be  interested 
in  the  theme  I  have  selected. 

Canada  is  the  name  given  to  the  greater  portion  of  the 
continent  of  North  America,  and  politically  it  is  an  integral 
portion  of  the  British  Empire.  I  mention  this  because  there  is 
an  impression  prevailing  in  Ohio  and  some  other  foreign  coun- 
tries, that  Canada  is  owned  by  a  railway  syndicate.  This  is  a 
mistake.  Nominally  Canada  belongs  to  Great  Britain,  it  con- 
tributes the  adjective  to  the  title,  as  Britain  itself  is  only  a  small 
affair,  but  really  and  practically  the  vast  Dominion  is  owned 
and  run  by  the  handsome  and  picturesque  people  so  well 
represented  in  blanket  suits  on  the  present  occasion.     [Allud- 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.  95 

ing  to  the  uniformed  snowshoers  ranged  upon  the  platform.] 

I  may  just  remark  here,  en  passong,  as  they  say  in  Montreal, 

that  the  Canadian  people  when  at  home,  invariably  dress  in 

the  costume  here  shown,  just  as  the  people  of  New  Jersey  wear 

long-tailed  coats  and  short  breeches  with  straps  to  them,  and 

bell-crowned   beaver  hats,  with  stars  on  their  waistcoats  and 

stripes  on  their  pantaloons.     It's  the  national  costume  you 

know,  but  they  rarely  venture  out  of  the  country  with  such 

good  clothes  on.    When  a  Canadian  makes  up  his  mind  to  settle 

in   New  York,  he  invariably  adopts  the  New  York  style  of 

dress.     He  changes  his  clothes  at  the  border,  and  then  he  goes 

in  like  a  regular  American,  to  Wall  Street  "  born."    Before  long, 

so  far  as  outward  appearance  goes,  he  would  pass  for  a  native 

New  Yorker,  and  you  could  only  tell  he  was  a  Canadian  by 

contemplating  the  number  of  islands  he  owns  and  the  magnitude 

of  h's  ferry  franchises.  And  this  leads  me  to  remark  that  when 

M.  Bartholdi  dressed  that  statue  of  his  in  Greek  clothing,  he 

availed  himself  of  a  poetic  license.     Canadians  of  the  sterner 

sex  never  dress  that  way,  never.     To  illu&trate  this  point  I  will 

here  make  a  rough  sketch  of  the  statue,  as  pictures  of  it  are  so 

rare  in  this  city  that  its  shape  may  have  escaped  your  memory. 

Not  only  in  the  matter  of  costume,  but  also  in  the  features, 

Bartholdi,  with  true  French  naiveti',  endeavored  to  conceal  the 

fact  that  in  this  great  work  of  art  he  was  paying  a  delicate 

compliment  to  a  Canadian.    He  was  afraid  Mr.  Wiman  mightn't 

like  it  if  made  too  literal.     For  I  suppose  it  is  pretty  well 

known  by  this  time  that  the  statue  is  really  meant  for  Wiman. 

The  very  fact  that  it  stands  there  bossing  an  island  is  enough 

to  suggest  this,  even  if  Bartholdi  had  never  confessed  his  real 


p^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

design.  To  be  sure,  mustache  and  mutton-chops  do  not  look 
well  in  bronze,,  but  they're  all  right  on  pa;.>;r,  and  they're 
necessary  in  this  case  to  expose  Bartholdi's  pleasant  allego;>. 
All  that  remains  to  be  changed  now  is  the  legend,  which  is  not 


*'  Liberty  Enlightening  the  World,"  but  "  Wiman  Defying  New 
Jersey." 

This,  however,  is  a  digression  from  our  historical  subject. 
Canada  was  discovered  by  Jacques-Cartier,  while  engaged  in  a 
fishing  cruise  around  the  banks  of  New  Foundland.  From  the 
banks  to  Canada  would  seem  to  be  an  unerring  impulse  of  the 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,  gj 

human  mind.  It  is  not  true,  however,  that  Cartier  is  French 
for  cashier,  and  time  has  fully  vindicated  this  gentleman's 
character,  as  the  banks  of  New  Foundland  are  to-day  as  sound 
as  ever.  The  coincidence  was  startling,  it  must  be  confessed, 
and  we  can  therefore  excuse  the  newspapers  of  the  day  for 
hinting  that  there  was  something  fishy  about  his  sudden 
departure. 

This  event  occurred  some  time  after  Christopher  Columbus 
had  got  in  his  work.  And  Columbus,  by  the  way,  as  an  illus- 
tration of  patience  and  perseverance  is  worthy  even  of  the  study 
of  those  good  Democratic  statesmen  who  are  waiting  for 
Cleveland  to  "  turn  the  rascals  out."  I  don't  know  what 
Columbus  looked  like,  but  I  feel  sure  that  upon  his  counten- 
ance was  stamped  a  calm  tranquil  expression  that  no  delays  and 
discouragements  could  change.  If  so,  he  didn't  look  much  like 
this.     [Here  a  wild-looking  sketch  of  Mr.  C.  A.  Dana  was  given.] 

Consider  what  Chris  had  to  go  through  before  he  got 
started  on  thai:  memorable  voyage  to  India.  It  took  him  just 
twenty  years  to  get  started.  Now,  if  it  had  been  that  he  had 
to  wait  for  Mrs.  C. . .  to  get  dressed,  we  wouldn't  have  wondered 
so  much.  But  the  trouble  wasn't  of  that  kind,  it  was  purely 
financial.  He  couldn't  sail  without  raising  the  wind,  and  mark 
his  wonderful  patience  in  raising  it.  Twenty  years.  The  trouble 
was,  nobody  believed  in  his  scheme  as  sound,  and  in  the  public 
interest.  If  it  had  been  a  surface-line  franchise  he  was  after, 
he  might  have  convinced  the  Aldermen,  but  Christopher 
wasn't  Sharp.  It  never  occurred  to  him  to  get  the  ladies  of  the 
Congregation  to  go  around  with  the  book,  though  as  a  matter 
of  fact  he  succeeded  at  last  by  the  aid  of  a  lady.  Queen  Isabella 


g8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

of  Castile,  whose  name  is  to  this  day  a  sweet  smelling  savor, 
embalmed  in  an  immortal  kind  of  soap,  "  Matchless  for  the 
complexion.— Yours  truly,  LiLY  Langtry." 

Columbus  went  from  court  to  court  after  the  boodle,  it's  a 
way  boodlers  have  of  going  from  court  to  court,  if  you  notice — 
and  at  last  he  found  a  friend  in  Ferdinand.  Ferdinand  had  a 
lot  of  the  proceeds  salted  down,  as  was  generally  suspected, 
and  he  gave  Columbus  a  check  for  the  required  amount, 
remarking,  "  Go  West,  young  man,  and  grow  up  with  the 
country."  Thus  was  patience  rewarded.  The  voyage  was  a 
severe  one,  everybody  was  sick  of  it  and  mutinied.  Columbus 
stood  on  the  quarter  deck  with  his  guitar  and  sang  to  the  moon 
about  everything  being  at  sixes  and  at  sevens.  A  bird  alighted 
on  the  topmast !  Omen  of  success :  Land  must  be  nigh.  With 
one  rapid  glance  the  piercing  eye  of  Columbus  seizes  the  happy 
portent.  The  fact  that  it  was  an  Eagle  proved  that  land  must 
be  near ;  while  the  shield  of  stars  and  bars  upon  its  breast,  the 
Canada  codfish  falling  from  its  talons,  the  ninety-cent  dollar 
hanging  from  its  neck,  and  finally  its  piercing  cry  of  E 
Pliiribus  Umun  proved  that  that  land  could  be  no  other  than 
America,  where  all  men  are  born  free  and  equal,  but  don't  stay 
so.  America  was  discovered  ;  no  longer  could  it  bashfully  avoid 
the  gaze  of  the  other  nations,  and  it  doesn't. 

Columbus'  work  made  a  boom  in  the  discovery  business, 
and  that's  how  Cartier  happened  to  be  around  in  time  to 
discover  Canada.  Cartier  was  a  Frenchman,  and  he  handed 
over  the  country  to  the  king  of  France,  as  a  matter  of  course. 
This  one  action  is  enough  to  show  that  Cartier  had  no  connec- 
tion with  the  Standard  Oil  Company ;  but  his  simplicity  in  giving 


Art,  Sciaice,  Literature,  and  Commerce. 


99 


away  the  country  when  he  might  have  kept  it  himself  has 
modified  Mr.  Gould's  opinion  of  his  otherwise  admirable  char- 
acter.    This  was  the  first  time  Canada  was  givt;.  ''way.     The 


offence  was  repeated,  I've  heard,  at  the  time  of  the  Wash- 
ington treaty.  Public  opinion  over  there  is  opposed  to  this,  as 
a  regular  thing,  and  at  present  there  is  a  disposition  to  conserve 
the  public  interests,  as  it  were.  Perhaps  I  can  convey  the  idea 
with  a  sketch. 


700  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

When  Mr.  Cartier  first  landed  in  Canada  there  were 
Indians  there.  I  do  not  wish  to  pose  as  a  sensationalist,  nor 
to  rudely  upset  your  settled  convictions  for  the  mere  purpose 
of  startling  you,  but  I  do  allege  that  there  were  more  Indians 
in  Canada  then  than  there  are  now.  Several  more.  In  fact,  the 
majority  of  the  present  inhabitants  are  ivliitc,  though  President 
Cleveland  seem  to  think  our  Government  doesn't  act  that  way. 

The  fact  is  the  Indians  are  comparatively  scarce  now. 
They  don't  a»'y  longer  pitch  their  tents  in  the  main  streets  of 
Toronto,  Montreal  and  Quebec.  Most  of  them  have  been 
:  killed,  though  they  still  persist,  the  survivors,  in  playing 
Lacrosse.  Had  foot-ball,  I  mean  the  Yale  and  Andover  variety, 
been  known  amongst  them,  the  race  would  no  doubt  have  been 
extinct.  Then  politics  has  no  doubt  helped  to  exterminate 
the  Red  Man.  An  Indian  can  eat  most  anything,  but  he  must 
have  pure  air,  and  when  the  party  caucus  was  established  in 
Canada,  the  Indians  had  to  go  further  back.  You  never  find 
any  Indians  in  the  lobby  at  Ottawa.  They  couldn't  stand  it. 
I  am  informed  that  Indians  take  an  active  part  in  politics  of 
Tammany  Hall  in  this  city,  but  that  only  shows  that  pure, 
mugwumpy  politics  isn't  so  fatal  to  them  as  the  corrupt  kind. 
At  the  same  time  I  suspect  that  the  Tammany  politicians  are 
not  really  Indians  of  a  delicate  type.  In  Cartier's  time  the  popu- 
lation of  Quebec  was  sixty,  that  is  the  pale-face  population.  As 
the  uncivilized  red  men  ruled  on  both  sides  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
in  those  days,  it  is  not  likely  that  there  were  refugee  defaulters. 
The  Indian  is  pretty  mean,  but  he  isn't  mean  enough  to  have 
an  extradition  law  that  protects  that  sort  of  thief  from  justice. 

These   white   men   were  honest   French  voyageurs,   but 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        10/ 

there  ai  ^  probably  sixty  of  the  other  fellows  in  Quebec  to  day. 
Such  is  progress  and  civilization. 

The  manners  of  the  early  Indi.'.n  tribes  of  Canada  are  very 
interesting.  Their  way  of  bringing  up  children,  for  example, 
was  peculiar.  The  infant  was  strapped  to  a  board  and  placed 
against  a  tree  outside  of  the  tent.  This  kept  the  youngster 
straight,  which  is  more  than  the  modern  white  method  does  : 
and  besides  it  inured  the  child  to  the  hardships  of  boarding 
out.  I  might  also  mention  the  Indian  system  of  writing.  In 
signing  treaties,  they  used  symbols  for  their  names,  thus  the 
Great  Chief  VVise-Owl-Who-sees-in-the-Dark,  would  sign  in  this 
way.     [Here  a  rough  outline  sketch  of  an  owl  was  given  J. 

Now  such  a  signature  wasn't  much  as  a  work  of  art,  but  it 
was  worth  more  on  a  treaty  generally  than  the  white  man's. 
In  too  many  cases  the  words  our  Canadian  poet  Mai:'  has  put 
into  the  mouth  of  an  Indian  character  were  true  : 

"  Our  sacred  treaties  are  infringed  and  torn, 
Laughed  out  of  sanctity,  and  spurned  away, 
Used  by  the  Long  Knife's  slave  to  light  his  fire 
Or  turned  to  kites  by  thoughtless  boys,  whose  wrists 
Anchor  their  fathers  lies  in  front  of  Heaven  !" 

This  Indian  method  of  conveying  ideas  by  means  of 
pictures,  is  a  great  scheme,  a  id  is  now  in  vogue  in  the  highest 
journalistic  circles.  It  forms  the  basis  in  fact,  of  the  colossal 
and  well-earned  fortunes  of  Messrs.  Keppler,  Nast,  Gillam, 
Opper,  De  Grimm,  Hamilton,  Zimmerman,  Taylor  and  many 
other  smart  young  men  well  known  to  you  all.  Of  course  in 
their  hands  it  is  greatly  improved.     They  color  their  symbols 


102  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

more  or  less  gaudily,  and  sell  them  for  ten  cents  a  copy.  And 
they  finish  them  up  better  than  the  Indian  artist  used  to. 
For  instance,  in  this  case  they  would  put  on  the  modern 
improvements  in  this  way,  and  call  i'  Vise-Man^Looking-Two 
ways-for-a-Presidential-Nomination.  n  owl  was  here  trans- 

formed into  General  B.  F.  Butler.] 

The  institution  known  as  the  lodge  was  universal  among 
the  aborigines,  and  one  of  their  most  striking  characteristics 
was  a  fondness  for  display  in  the  matter  of  dress.  Nothing 
so  tickled  the  untutored  child  of  the  forest  as  to  be  rigged  in 
regalia,  with  feathers,  sashes  and  ribbons,  and  the  letters 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  or  I.  O.  O.  F,,  or  other  mysterious  symbols 
be-spangling  his  bosom.  In  such  a  costume  he  thought 
nothing  of  fatigue,  but  would  willingly  travel  on  dusty  roads 
all  day  in  the  hottest  weather.  When  the  savage  denizens  of 
Hochelaga  (now  Montreal)  wanted  to  go  on  the  war-path,  they 
would  just  stick  orange  lilies  in  their  hair  and  marched  through 
that  village  on  July  I2th.     That  was  all  that  was  necessary. 

The  Indian  women  didn't  have  a  vote,  but  the  men  folks 
let  them  carry  everything  by  acclamation,  especially  tent 
poles  and  camp-fixtures,  and  they  never  endeavored  to  deceive 
them  by  subsequently  chewing  cloves.  In  vain  Miss  Anthony, 
who  arrived  a  little  before  Cartier,  advocated  the  female 
franchise  and  dress  reform.  No  doubt  the  latter  was  needed, 
as  you  will  see  when  I  roughly  sketch  the  costume  then  in 
vogue.  To  show  that  the  absurdity  was  not  confined  to  one 
sex,  I  will  try  to  give  you  an  idea  also  of  the  costume  of  the 
young  bucks  of  the  Iroquois  tribe.  [Here  an  amusing  carica 
ture  of  an  Indian  dude  and  dudene  ;vas  given.] 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        loj 

The  domestic  arrangements  of  the  Canadian  Indians  were, 
as  we  might  reasonably  anticipate,  no  better  than  those  of 
other  barbarian  people.  They  were  especially  faulty,  however, 
on  the  very  important  subject  of  marriage. 

In  the  first  place  the  courtship  was  peculiar.  Sometimes 
the  principal  parties  were  not  consulted  at  all.  The  young 
woman's  mamma  simply  took  a  fish  pole  and  went  abroad  to 
catch  whatever  she  could  in  the  shape  of  a  man.  No  mere 
Indian,  however  handsome,  had  any  chance  while  there  were 
young  lords  and  counts  visiting  at  Cartier's  house.  The 
Indian  girls  were  just  c/azy  after  blue  blood,  but  sometimes 
they  eloped  with  a  low  down  Indian,  because  then  the  papers 
always  described  them  as  beautiful  and  accomplished.  There 
is  no  mention  in  this  early  history  of  divorce  proceedings,  and 
so  we  are  left  in  the  dark  as  to  how  ladies,  without  talent  even» 
became  actresses  '"n  those  days. 

The  Indians  had  two  very  noticeable  vices,  gambling  and 
cruelty.  As  to  the  first  it  is  alleged  that  in  the  excitement  of 
the  game  (Stock  Exchange  or  whatever  they  called  it),  players 
often  staked  their  lives  on  the  result,  whence  no  doubt  is 
derived  the  phrase  :  "  You  bet  your  sweet  life."  Their  cruelty 
was  proverbial,  they  were  the  original  inventors  of  the  spoils 
system,  and  after  a  victory  they  tortured  and  scalped  their 
captives  without  any  fine  distinction  as  to  offensive  partisan- 
ship. I  am  glad  to  say  this  is  no  longer  the  practice  in  Canada. 
We  now  enjoy  civil-service  reform  and  the  victorious  party 
doesn't  murder  its  enemies.  It  only  removes  them  from 
ofifice. 

To  return  to  Jacques-Cartier,  he  appears  to  have  been  a 


104  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

man  of  great  magnetism  and  chivalry,  as  he  earned  the  popular 
title  of  the  Plumed  Knight  amongst  the  simple  and  unsophis- 
ticated aborigines.  Just  here  it  might  be  interesting  to 
introduce  his  portrait,  which  I  have  copied  from  historical 
documents  discovered  in  Maine.  Maine  at  that  time  belonged 
to  Canada  you  know,  and  does  yet  by  rights,  some  folks  say. 
[Here  a  portrait  of  J  as.  G.  Blaine.] 

Cartier  was  succeeded  by  a  long  train  of  other  French 
gentlemen  whose  deeds  I  have  not  time  to  dwell  upon.  At 
length,  the  country  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  after 
some  preliminary  ceremonies  on  the  plains  of  Abraham,  near 
Quebec.  You  are  familiar,  of  course,  with  the  incidents  of  that 
memorable  battle,  and  especially  with  the  last  words  of  Wolfe, 
which  are  so  often  quoted.  Somebody  said  to  him  :  "  They 
run."  "Who  run?"  he  asked.  "  The  Republicans."  "  Then  I 
die  happy,"  he  replied. 

I  think  that  was  it,  if  I  haven't  got  it  mixed  with  the  third- 
party  vote  in  Pennsylvania  in  November. 

The  British  flag  was  still  waving  over  the  land  when  1 
left.  Attempts  have  been  made  on  a  couple  of  occasions  to 
put  a  showier  piece  of  bunting  in  its  place,  but  without  success. 
A  certain  Republic,  which  shall  be  nameless,  had  something  to 
do  with  the  attempts  I  refer  to.  If  you  had  only  told  me  of 
your  intention  I  could  have  saved  you  a  great  deal  of  worry 
and  expense  by  mforming  you  that  the  Canadians  cannot  be 
conquered  by  force  of  arms.  I  don't  blame  you  for  trying 
though,  for  everybody  who  knows  what  Canadian  girls  are  like 
would  be  anxious  to  conquer  or  perish  just  as  you  were.  It  is 
a  tribute  to  American  shrewdness,  however,  that   you   have 


Arl,  Science,  Literal  ire,  and  Commerce.         lo^ 

dropped  the  military  plan,  and  resorted  to  this  present  scheme. 
I  have  no  doubt  your  calculation  is  correct  that  as  soon  as  the 
absent  boodle  aldermen  and  bank  presidents  form  a  majority 
of  our  population  over  there,  they  will  cast  a  solid  vote  for 
annexation  on  condition  of  a  general  amnesty  being  granted. 
And  I  have  only  this  to  say,  that  as  soon  as  a  clear  majority  of 
our  most  wealthy  citizens  so  decide,  annexation  will  be  all 
right.  But  I  see  that  my  time  is  up,  and  i  must  drop  this 
interesting  theme  and  bid  you  good  night. 


'■"^S.    'm  '^^^^^^l::; 


>' 


^ 


^  '   Ji^y^'       ^^  ^Sz^^lL^tU^C^ 


THE  HEROINES  OF  NEW  FRANCE. 


/.  M.  LEMOINE,  F.  R.  S.  C. 


(    An  address  delivered  before  the 
(      Canadian  Club  of  New  York. 


ERTAINLY,  your  cordial  greeting 
this  evening  overcomes  much  of  the 
diffidence  I  felt  in  making  my  first 
bow  to  a  cultured  New  York  audi- 
ence. However,  in  your  presence, 
I  feel  as  if  I  required  but  scant 
apology  for  my  subject :  The  noble 
devotion  to  duty  of  three  of  the 
remarkable    women,    whose    brave 

deeds  have  illumined  the  early  times  of  Canada. 

This  evening,  I  witness   what   to   a  Canadian  is  a  very 

gratifying  spectacle :  an  array  of  Canada's  most  hopeful  sons. 


io8  New  Papers  on  Canadiati  History ^ 

striking  out  boldly  and  successfully  as  merchants,  manufac- 
turers, professional  men,  writers,  in  fact  an  arrray  of  energetic 
men  invadingevery  important  path  open  to  the  human  intellect 
and  human  industry  in  this  great  metropolis  of  the  western 
world. 

Had  I  to  dilate  on  the  patriotism  of  De  Longueuil ;  the 
daring  achievements  of  his  worthy  brothers  d'Iberville  and  De 
Stc.-H^lfene  ;  the  self-sacrificing  Bollard  des  Ormeaux  and  his 
Spartan  band  of  heroes;  the  saintly  memories  of  Jogues,  De 
Brebceuf  and  L'AUeman  ;  the  lion  heartedness  of  grim  old 
Count  de  Frontenac,  answering  admiral  Phips  from  the 
mouths  of  his  cannon,  as  well  as  of  other  worthies  whose 
careers  constitute,  according  to  a  well-remembered  Vice-Roy 
of  ours.  Lord  Elgin,  what  he  happily  styled  "  the  heroic  era 
of  Canada,"  easy  would  be  my  task,  ample  the  material. 

The  pregnant  though  silent  past  abounds  with  grand 
figures  in  our  historical  drama  ;  of  men  illustrious  in  life,  glo- 
rious in  death !  But  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  entertain  you  this 
evening  with  man's  prowess  in  the  early  history  of  Canada. 
My  object  is  to  recite  to  you  the  plain  and  unvarnished  tale  of 
three  of  the  purest,  bravest  and  most  devoted  women  that  have 
illustrated  the  early  part  of  our  history,  whose  heroic  deeds 
cast  a  guiding-hallow  in  the  path  of  toiling  and  tottering 
humanity,  and  to  whose  spotless  record  thinking  men  cannot 
remain  indifferent. 

We  have  had  on  our  side  of  the  frontier,  as  you  have  had 
on  yours,  several  noteworthy  women,  who  have  left  their  foot- 
prints on  the  sands  of  time. 

One  of  the  first  recalled  is  the  helpmate  of  the  dauntless 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        log 

founder  of  Quebec,  Hel^ne  Boull^,  the  girlish-bride  won  by 
Samuel  de  Champlain  from  her  gay  and  refined  Parisian  home, 
and  whose  sweetness  later  on,  in  1620,  made  fragrant  Canadian 
wilds. 

On  the  5th  December,  i6fo,  Champlain  was  wedded  to 
Mademoiselle  H^l^ne  Boull6,  whose  father,  Nicolas  Boull6,  was 
private  secretary  in  the  King's  household.  The  damsel  had 
not  yet  attained  her  twelfth  year ;  she  had  been  brought  up  a 
Calvinist,  the  faith  of  her  father.  Her  mother,  Marguerite  Alixe, 
originally  a  Roman  Catholic,  had  also  espoused  her  husband's 
creed  :  but  presently  we  shall  see  the  youthful  H^lene  adopting 
Champlain's  religious  tenets  and  becoming,  in  later  years,  quite 
an  enthusiast  in  her  newly-pledged  faith. 

It  was  soon  rumored  that  the  daring  founder  of  Quebec 
had  not  only  won  the  hand  of  a  handsome,  high-born  French 
girl,  but  also  the  heart  of  an  heiress:  4,500  livres  of  her  dowry 
of  6,000  livres  were  forthwith  placed  at  the  disposal  of  her 
liege  lord  to  fit  out  vessels  for  his  return  to  Quebec.  However, 
it  does  not  appear  that  until  her  landing  in  Quebec,  the  youthful 
bride  had  seen  much  of  her  elderly  husband,  who  was  constantly 
engaged  about  161 8  in  distant  sea-voyages,  land  explorations 
and  Indian  wars.  Champlain  spent  two  years  in  France,  and 
having  realized  upon  all  he  possessed  there,  he  persuaded  his 
spouse,  who  had  then  attained  her  twenty-second  year,  to  accom- 
pany him  to  Canada.  She  cheerfully  consented,  taking  with  her 
three  maids-in-waiting. 

Intense  was  the  joy  of  the  struggling  colonists  at  the  return 
of  their  brave  Governor,  their  trusted  and  powerful  protector ; 


uo  Ncio  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

great  was  their  admiration  of  the  winsome  and  lovable  wife  that 
accompanied  him. 

The  first  lady  of  Canada  very  soon  realized  what  meant  a 
Quebec  home  in  1620.  It  was  a  life  of  incessant  alarms,  with 
scurvy  and  periodical  famines  for  the  colonists  ;  of  gluttony  and 
pagan  rites,  of  debauchery  on  the  part  of  the  greasy,  naked  and 
uncouth  savages  hutted  round  the  fort. 

Within  two  years  after  Madame  de  Champlain's  arrival,  a 
large  band  of  Iroquois  hovered  on  the  outskirts  of  Quebec.  The 
recollection  of  the  fatal  effects  of  Champlain's  arquebuse  alone 
deterred  them  from  raiding  the  town.  One  day  Champlain  and 
the  greater  portion  of  his  men  being  abserjt,  the  war-whoop 
was  sounded ;  the  women  and  children  shut  themselves  in 
the  fort,  the  Recollet  Convent  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Charles 
was  assailed.  The  friars  fortified  their  quarters,  and  made  a 
bold  front ;  the  Iroquois  retired  after  capturing  two  Hurons, 
whom  they  tortured  and  burnt.  Judge  of  the  alarm  of  the 
gentle  deserted  lady  in  the  fort  and  of  her  French  maids. 
For  four  successive  winters  January  storms  and  prowling  Indians 
had  gathered  round  the  battlements  of  the  grim  old  fort,  and  still 
Madame  de  Champlain  remained  firm  at  her  post  of  duty. 

One  of  her  favorite  occupations  was  that  of  ministering 
to  the  spiritual  and  temporal  wants  of  the  Indian  children,  and 
visiting  them  in  their  wigwams.  Soon  she  appeared,  in  their 
simple  and  grateful  eyes,  as  a  species  of  superior  being ;  they 
felt  inclined  to  worship  her.  History  recalls  the  charms  of  her 
person,  her  winning  manners,  her  kindliness.  The  Governor's 
lady,  in  her  rambles  in  the  forest,  wore  an  article  of  feminine 
toilet  not  unusual  in  those  days :  a  small  mirror  hung  to  her 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,        iii 

side.  The  savages  took  particular  delight  in  seeing  their  swarthy 
face  reflected  in  the  magical  glass.  It  appealed  irresistibly 
to  their  simple  nature :  "  A  beauteous  being,  they  said,  who 
watched  over  them  in  sickness,  who  loved  them  so  much  as  i-o 
carry  their  image  close  to  her  heart,  must  be  more  than  human." 
Blessings  and  offerings  attended  her  footsteps. 

The  graceful  figure  of  the  first  lady  of  Canada  gliding 
noiselessly,  more  than  two  centuries  ago,  by  the  side  of  the 
murmuring  waters  of  the  wild  St.  Lawrence,  a  help-mate  to  her 
noble  husband,  a  pattern  of  purity  and  refinement,  was  indeed  a 
vision  of  female  loveliness  and  womanly  devotion  for  a  poet  to 
immortalize. 

Daily  alarms,  solitude,  isolation  from  the  friendly  faces  of 
her  youth,  soon  began  to  tell  on  the  forlorn  chdtclainc.  Four 
years  of  existence  in  this  bleak  wilderness  was  too  much 
for  the  high-born  dame,  nurtured  amidst  the  amenities  of 
Parisian  salons.  She  longed  for  the  loved  home  beyond  the 
seas.  In  her  dreums  another  solitude  had  been  revealed  to  her : 
the  mystif-  aolitude  of  the  cloister,  where,  undisturbed,  she 
might  send  up  her  prayers  on  high  for  her  absent  husband. 

One  bright  August  morning  in  1624,  [the  15th],  all  Quebec 
sorrowfully  watched  the  sails  of  a  white-pennoned  bark,  reced- 
ing beyond  Pointe  Levi,  conveying  to  less  lonely  climes  the 
released  captive. . . . 

Nineteen  years  after  the  death  of  her  valiant  knight, 
Madame  de  Champlain  founded  at  Meaux,  in  France,  a 
Convent  of  Ursulines  nuns,  to  which  she  retired.  On  the  20th 
December,  1654,  her  gentle  spirit  took  from  thence  its  flight 
to  less  evanescent  scenes. 


112  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

We  shall  shift  the  scene  from  the  old  Stadacona's  heights 
to  the  rugged  though  fertile  land  to  which  the  magic  pencil  of 
Longfellow  has  lent  unfading  glamour :  to  Acadia,  now  Nova 
Scotia. 

More  than  one  hundred  years  before  the  forest  primeval 
and  golden  wheat-fields  of  Grand  Vxt  had  echoed  the  sighs  of 
Longfellow's  Acadian  Maidens,  there  lived,  loved  and  died  on 
the  historic  shores  of  the  river  St.  John,  at  Fort  St.  Louis,  an 
accomplished  French  lady,  known  to  history  as  the  Lady  de 
la  Tour. 

Claude  de  St.  Et"enne,  Sieur  de  la  Tour,  was  allied  to  the 
noble  French  house  of  Bouillon,  but  had  lost  the  greater  part 
of  his  estates  in  the  civil  wars.  He  came  to  Acadia  about  the 
year  1609  with  his  son  Charles,  who  was  then  only  fifteen  years 
of  age. 

Charles,  after  the  destruction  of  Port-Royal  by  Argall, 
became  the  fast  friend  of  Biencourt  and  lived  with  him,  both 
leading  a  free  and  easy  woodman's  life.  Biencourt  claimed 
important  rights  in  Port-Royal. 

At  his  death,  he  bequeathed  his  claims  to  the  young 
Huguenot,  Charles  de  la  Tour,  namingh  im  his  lieutenant  and 
successor  in  the  Government  of  the  colony ;  he  could  not  have 
selected  a  bolder,  a  more  enterprising  and  successful  leader. 

In  1625,  or  thereabout,  Charles  de  la  Tour  married  the 
lady  whose  adventurous  career  it  is  my  object  to  depict. 

Shortly  after  his  marriage  he  removed  to  a  fort  he  had 
erected  near  Cape  Sable,  which  he  called  Fort  St.  Louis,  and 
which  he  also  intended  to  make  a  convenient  depot  for  Indian 
trade. 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        iij 

About  this  period  the  French  colonists  were  becoming 
sensible  of  the  weakness  of  their  settlements  in  Acadia  in  case 
of  foreign  aggression.  Claude  de  la  Tour,  the  father  of  Charles, 
was  sent  to  France  to  represent  the  matter  to  the  French  Gov- 
ernment. Returning  with  ammunition  and  supplies  intended 
for  Port-Royal  and  Quebec,  the  squadron,  in  1628,  was  captured 
with  Roquemont's  fleet  by  Sir  David  Kirk,  and  Claude  de  la 
Tour  was  sent  a  prisoner  to  England.  Far  from  losing  heart, 
he  seems  to  have  made  the  most  of  his  captivity  to  forward  his 
own  ends. 

A  Huguenot  of  note,  he  found  favor  at  once  among  the 
French  Huguenots  who,  exiled  from  their  own  sunny  land  by 
intolerance,  had  sought  an  asylum  in  London. 

The  English  Monarch  sought  them  as  useful  allies. 

Claude  de  la  Tour  was  introuuced  to  Court,  fell  in  love  and 
married  one  of  the  ladies  in  wai.lug  ol  Queen  Henrietta  Maria, 
the  consort  of  Charles  I.,  and  was  dubbed  a  Nova  Scotia  knight. 
He,  as  well  as  his  son  who  then  commanded  in  Acadi.i,  was  pro- 
mised a  grant  of  4,500  square  miles  in  the  new  Scotch  colony 
to  be  founded  there  by  Sir  William  Alexander,  provided  he 
could  persuade  his  son  to  hand  over  his  fort  to  the  representa- 
tives of  the  English  king. 

The  unscrupulous  parent,  on  mentioning  to  his  son  the 
price  which  those  flattering  distinctions  and  emoluments  were 
to  cost,  soon  found  out  that  something  greater  than  ill  they 
might  represent  existed,  that  was  summed  up  in  the  word 
"  Honor."  Charles  de  la  Tour  indignantly  scorned  tL  ^  parental 
offer. 

Trouble  was  in  store  for  Charles  the  moment  D'Aulnay 


11^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Charnisay,  Razely's  lieutenant,  came  to  Acadia  in  command  of 
another  settlement.  Charnisay  was  restless,  ambitious,  revenge 
ful :  "  Acadia  seemed  too  small  for  two  such  aspiring  men." 
Soon  Charnisay  set  to  work  to  supplant  his  rival  at  the  French 
Court,  and  succeeded  through  powerful  friends.  The  blow  fell 
on  De  la  Tour  in  1641  ;  his  commission  as  the  King's  Lieutenant 
was  revoked  and  a  vessel  sailed  from  France  to  carry  back  the 
deposed  Governor.  Encouraged  by  his  spirited  wife,  Charles 
refused  to  bend  his  head  to  the  storm  —  urging  that  the 
King's  good  faith  had  been  surprised.  He  fortified  the  fort, 
applied  to  Boston  for  help  and  sent  a  representative  to  the 
Huguenots  of  La  Rochelle  seeking  aid  against  their  great 
enemy,  Richelieu.  De  Charnisay,  in  the  meantime,  had  gone 
over  to  France  to  prosecute  his  deadly  plans  of  revenge  against 
De  la  Tour,  and  he  heard  of  the  arrival  of  the  Lady  De  la 
Tour,  whose  influence  he  dreaded  very  much.  He  at  once  pro- 
cured an  order  for  her  arrest,  as  being  an  accomplice  in  her 
husband's  treason.  She  fled  to  England  and  succeeded  in 
chartering  a  ship  in  London,  which  she  freighted  with  provis- 
ions and  munitions  of  war  to  relieve  her  husband  at  Fort  La 
Tour.  Instead  of  steering  straight  for  the  Fort,  the  English 
captain  spent  several  months  trading  on  the  coast  for  his  own 
account.  De  Charnisay  had  not  remained  idle  in  the  mean- 
while. On  returning  he  laid  watch  and  succeeded  in  inter- 
cepting the  ship ;  the  master  had  to  conceal  in  the  hold  his 
daring  passenger,  the  Lady  De  la  Tour,  pretending  his  vessel 
was  bound  for  Boston.  De  Charnisay  then  gave  him  a  message 
to  deliver  to  the  Boston  authoritie:  and  he  reached  there  a  few 
days  after. 


4. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        115 

This  change  of  itinerary,  added  to  the  untoward  delay 
which  had  already  occurred,  was  a  grievous  loss  and  incon- 
venience to  the  Lady  De  la  Tour.  She  brought  suit  in  Boston 
against  the  English  captain  on  the  charter-party  for  damages, 
which  were  awarded  to  her  to  the  extent  of  ^2,000  by  a  full 
bench  of  magistrates.  She  seized  the  cargo  of  the  ship  and 
hired  three  vessels  to  convey  herself  and  property  to  Fort  La 
Tour,  where  she  arrived  in  1644,  to  the  great  joy  of  her  hus- 
band, after  an  absence  of  more  than  twelve  months. 

De  Charnisay,  after  storming  at  Governor  Endicot  and  the 
Boston  people  generally,  for  having  given  help  to  Lady  De  la 
Tour,  took  advantage  of  the  absence  of  Governor  De  la  Toui 
from  his  fort  to  attack  it  fiercely,  after  having  first  apprised 
himself  of  its  weak  condition.  The  garrison,  'tis  true,  was 
small,  but  there  was  at  its  head  an  indomitable  spirit  worth  a 
whole  garrison,  the  Lady  De  la  Tour.  She  stationed  herself 
on  the  bastion,  directing  the  cannonade  and  infusing  into  the 
combatants  her  own  heroic  spirit.  Soon  she  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  seeing  De  Charnisay's  ship  making  cover  behind  a  point 
to  prevent  her  sinking,  and  twenty  of  the  besiegers  laying  dead 
and  thirteen  wounded.  This  repulse  took  place  in  February, 
1645. 

De  Charnisay's  last  attack  on  Fort  La  Tour  occurred  on 
the  13th  April,  1645.  This  time  the  attack  was  directed  from 
the  land  side.  Unfortunately,  the  fort  was  in  no  better  condi- 
tion than  on  former  occasions  to  make  an  attack ;  moreover, 
De  la  Tour  was  absent  and  in  Boston,  unable  to  reach  the 
fort,  owing  to  the  armed  cruisers  with  which  De  Charnisay 
patroled  the  Bay  of  Fundy.    The  Lady  De  la  Tour,  though 


Ji6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

despairing  of  making  a  successful  resistance,  resolved  to 
defend  the  fort  to  the  last.*  For  three  successive  days  and 
nights  the  storming  continued,  but  the  defence  was  so  well 
managed  that  the  besiegers  made  no  progress  and  De  Char- 
nisay  was  compelled  to  retire  with  loss. 

Treachery,  however,  finally  achieved  what  valor  had  failed 
to  effect.  Charnisay  found  means  to  bribe  a  Swiss  sentry  who 
formed  part  of  the  garrison,  and  on  the  fourth  day,  an  Easter 
Sunday,  while  the  garrison  were  at  prayers,  this  traitor  per- 
mitted the  enemy  to  approach  without  giving  any  warning. 
They  were  in  the  act  of  scaling  the  walls  before  the  inmates  of 
the  fort  were  aware  of  their  attack.  Lady  De  la  Tour  instantly 
rushed  out  at  the  head  of  her  soldiers  and  fought  the  besiegers 
with  so  much  vigor  that  Charnisay,  who  had  already  lost  twelve 
men  besides  many  wounded,  despaired  of  the  success  of  his 
undertaking.  He  therefore  proposed  terms  of  capitulation, 
offering  the  garrison  life  and  liberty  if  they  consented  to  sur- 
render. Lady  De  la  Tour,  persuaded  that  successful  resistance 
was  no  longer  possible  and  desirous  of  saving  the  lives  of  those 
under  her  command,  accepted  the  terms  offered  by  Charnisay 
and  allowed  him  to  enter  the  fort 

It  was  then  that  the  full  baseness  of  Charnisay's  nature 
was  revealed.    With  the  exception  of  one  man,  he  ordered  the 

*  Madame  De  la  Tour's  career  is  the  subject  of  one  of  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier's  sweetest  poems,  entitled :  Saint  John,  1647.  The  noble  con- 
duct of  her  husband  in  refusing  to  surrender  to  his  father's  sollicitations, 
for  the  English  king,  the  French  fort  he  held,  was  immortalized  in  verse  by 
the  late  G^rin-Lajoie,  one  of  our  leading  writers,  in  a  drama,  entitled :  Le 
Jeune  Latour. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        iiy 

whole  garrison,  Frencly  as  well  as  English,  to  be  hanged ;  the 
one  life  he  spared  was  on  the  dreadful  condition  that  he  should 
become  the  executioner  of  his  comrades  in  arms.  Even  the 
slaughter  of  these  poor  soldiers  failed  to  satisfy  his  blood- 
thirsty instincts.  Had  he  dared,  he  would  doubtless  have  had 
Lady  De  la  Tour  assassinated  with  the  rest ;  but  the  Court  of 
France,  venal  though  it  was,  might  not  have  tolerated  such  an 
outrage.  Charnisay  did  what  was  almost  as  contemptible  ;  the 
heroic  womai.,  with  a  rope  around  her  neck,  like  one  who' 
should  also  have  been  executed,  but  who  by  favor  had  been 
reprieved,  was  forced  to  be  present  at  the  execution  of  her 
soldiers.  It  mattered  nought  to  her  what  further  schemes  of 
vengeance  her  implacable  foe  might  devise.  None  could  move 
her,  her  great  heart  was  broken.  She  was  far  away  from  her 
husband,  to  whose  fortunes  she  had  been  so  faithful ;  she  dared 
scarcely  hope  to  see  his  face  again,  except,  like  herself,  a  cap- 
tive. Her  work  in  life  was  done ;  she  felt  she  was  not  born  for 
captivity,  so  she  faded  away  and  drooped  day  by  day,  until 
her  heroic  soul  left  its  earthy  tenement.  Within  three  weeks 
after  the  capture  of  the  fort  she  was  laid  to  rest  on  the  green 
banks  of  the  St.  Johns  River,  which  she  had  loved  so  well,  and 
where  she  had  lived  for  so  many  years,  "  leaving  a  name  as 
proudly  enshrined  in  Acadian  history,"  says  the  historian,  "as 
that  of  any  sceptered  Queen  in  European  history." 

Let  us  now  review  one  of  those  energetic  characters  which 
marked  one  of  the  proudest  epochs  in  Canadian  history  :  The 
era  of  Frontenac. 

You  have  all  heard  of  the  dashing  French  regiment  of 
Carignan,  commanded  by  Colonel  de  Sali^res,  which  the  Grand 


ii8  New  Papers  o?t  Canadian  History^ 

Monarque,  Louis  XIV.,  in  1664,  had  given  his  haughty  Vice- 
Roy,  the  Marquis  de  Tracy,  as  an  escort  to  Quebec.  It  was 
officered  by  sixty  or  seventy  French  gentlemen,  many  of  whom 
were  connected  with  the  French  noblesse.  Four  companies, 
some  six  hundred  men,  were  disbanded  shortly  after  their 
arrival  in  New  France.  The  officers  and  privates  were  induced, 
by  land  grants,  supplies  of  cattle  and  other  marks  of  royal 
favor  to  marry  and  settle  in  the  New  World.  Many  of  them 
acquiesced  and  became  the  respected  sires  of  the  leading  French 
families  in  after  years.  Among  them  De  Chambly,  Sorel,  Du 
Gu6,  La  Valtrie,  Verch^res,  Berthier,  Granville,  Contrecceur, 
De  Meloises,  Tarieu  de  la  Parade,  Saint-Ours,  De  la  Fouille, 
Maximin,  Lobeau,  Petit,  Rougemont,  Traversy,  De  la  Nouette, 
Lacombe  and  others,  worthy  comrades  in  arms  of  De  Lon- 
gueuil,  d'lberville,  and  de  Ste-H^l^ne. 

One  of  them,  M.  de  Verch^res,  obtained  in  1672,  on  the 
banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  near  Montreal,  where  now  stands 
the  flourishing  parish  of  Verch^res,  a  land-grant,  of  three  miles 
square,  which  the  King  materially  increased  in  extent  the 
following  year. 

In  those  troublesome  times,  the  seigneur's  house  meant  a 
small  fort,  to  stave  off  Indian  aggression.  "  These  forts," 
says  the  historian  Charlevoix, "were  merely  extensive  enclosures, 
surrounded  by  palisades  and  redoubts.  The  church  and  the 
dwelling  of  the  seigneur  were  within  the  enclosure,  which  was 
sufficiently  large  to  admit,  on  an  emergency,  the  women  and 
children,  and  the  farm-cattle ;  one  or  two  sentries  mounted 
guard  by  day  and  by  night ;  with  small  field  pieces,  they  kept  in 
check  the  skulking  enemy  and  served  to  warn  the  settlers  to 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        iig 

arm  and  hasten  to  the  rescue.  These  precautions  were  sufficient 
to  guard  against  a  raid,"  but  not  in  all  cases  as  we  shall  soon 
see. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  absence  of  M,  de  Verch^res,  the 
ever-watchful  Iroquois  drew  stealthily  around  the  little  fort  and 
took  to  climbing  over  the  palisades.  On  hearing  which,  Marie- 
Madeleine  de  Verch^res,  the  youthful  daughter  of  the  seigneur, 
seized  a  musket  and  fired  it.  The  marauders  alarmed, 
slunk  away,  but  on  finding  that  they  were  not  pursued,  they 
returned  and  spent  two  days  hovering  like  wolves  around  the 
fort,  however  not  daring  to  enter,  as  ever  and  anon  a  bullet 
would  reach  the  man  who  first  attempted  an  escalade.  What 
increased  their  surprise,  was  that  they  could  detect  inside  no 
living  creature  except  a  woman  ;  but  this  female  was  so  active, 
so  fearless,  so  ubiquitous,  that  she  seemed  to  be  everywhere  at 
once.  Nor  did  her  unerring  fire  cease,  so  long  as  there  was  an 
enemy  in  sight.  The  dauntless  holder  of  the  fort  Verch^res 
was  Mile  de  Verch^res,  then  in  her  twelfth  year.  This  hap- 
pened in  1690. 

Two  years  later,  the  Iroquois  returned  in  larger  force, 
having  chosen  the  time  of  the  year  when  the  settlers  were 
engaged  in  the  fields,  tilling  the  soil,  to  pounce  upon  them. 
Mile  de  Verch^res,  then  aged  fourteen,  happened  to  be  saun- 
tering on  the  river  bank.  Noticing  a  savage  aiming  at  her,  she 
eluded  his  murderous  intent  by  rushing  homeward  at  the  top 
of  her  speed  ;  but  for  swiftness  of  foot  the  Indian  was  her 
match,  terror  added  wings  to  her  flight.  With  tomahawk  up- 
raised, he  gradually  gained  upon  her,  and  was  in  fact  rapidly 
closing  as  they  neared  the  fort,  another  bound  and  she  might 


120  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

be  beyond  his  reach.  Straining  every  nerve,  the  Indian  sprang 
and  seized  the  kerchief  which  covered  her  throat.  Rapid  as 
thought,  and  whilst  the  exulting  savage  raised  his  arm  to  strike 
the  fatal  blow,  Mademoiselle  tore  asunder  the  knot  which 
fastened  her  kerchief,  and,  bounding  within  the  fort  like  a 
gazelle,  closed  the  door  against  her  pursuer. 

**  To  arms !  To  arms ! ! "  Without  heeding  the  groans  of  the 
inmates,  who  could  see  from  the  fort  their  husbands  and 
brothers  carried  away  as  prisoners,  she  rushed  to  the  bastion, 
where  stood  the  solitary  sentry,  seized  a  musket  and  a  soldier's 
cap,  and  ordered  a  great  clatter  of  guns,  so  as  to  make  believe 
the  fort  was  fully  manned.  She  next  loaded  a  small  field-piece, 
and  not  having  a  wad  at  hand,  thrust  in  a  towel  instead,  and 
discharged  the  piece  at  the  enemy.  This  unexpected  rebuff, 
struck  terror  in  the  marauders,  who  saw  their  warriors  one  after 
the  other  grievously  hit.  Thus  armed  and  with  but  the  aid  of 
one  soldier  only,  she  continued  the  fire.  Presently  the  alarm 
reached  the  neighborhood  of  Montreal,  when  an  intrepid  officer, 
the  Chevalier  de  Crisasi,  brother  io  the  Marquis  of  Crisasi,  then 
Governor  of  Three  Rivers,  rushed  to  Verch^res  at  the  head  of  a 
chosen  band  of  men  ;  but  the  savages  had  made  good  their 
retreat  with  three  prisoners.  After  a  three  days  pursuit,  the 
Chevalier  found  them  with  their  captives  strongly  intrenched  in 
the  woods  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Champlain.  The  French 
officer  completely  routed  the  murderous  crew — cut  them  to 
pieces  only  a  few  who  escaped.  The  prisoners  were  released, 
all  New  France  resounded  with  the  fame  of  Mile  de  Verch^res 
who  was  awarded  the  title  of  heroine. 

Another  instance  of  heroism  on  her  part,  added  fame  to  her 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        121 

reputation  for  courage.  A  French  commander,  M.  de  La  Nau- 
di^re  de  la  Parade,  was  pursuing  the  Iroquois,  some  writers  say 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  river  Richelieu,  according  to  others 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  river  Ste.-Anne,  when  there  sprang, 
unexpectedly,  out  of  the  underbrush,  a  swarm  of  the  implacable 
foes.  Taken  unaware  M.  de  la  Parade  was  just  on  the  point  of 
falling  a  victim  to  their  ambush  when  Mile  de  Verch^res, 
seizing  a  musket,  rushed  on  the  enemy  at  the  head  of  some 
resolute  men  and  succeeded  in  saving  him  from  the  Indian  toma- 
hawk. She  had  achieved  a  conquest,  or  better  she  became  the 
conquest  of  M.  de  la  Perade,  whose  life  she  saved.  Henceforth, 
in  history,  the  heroine  de  Verch^res  will  be  known  as  Madame 
de  la  Parade,  the  wife  of  an  influential  seigneur. 

The  fame  of  the  heroine  reached  the  banks  of  the  Seine, 
and  Louis  XIV.  instructed  his  Vice-Roy  in  New  France  to 
call  upon  her  in  person  and  procure  her  version  of  her 
courageous  deeds.  The  simple  statement  pleased  the  French 
Monarch  very  much. 

It  was  my  intention  to  close  the  career  of  the  Heroine  of 
Verch^res  with  this  last  episode,  but  on  the  eve  of  my  leaving 
for  New  York,  an  antiquarian  friend,  a  lineal  descendant  also  of 
this  noble  woman,  the  Hon.  Justice  George  Baby,  of  the  Court 
of  Appeals,  placed  in  my  hand  an  unpublished  memoir  revealing 
Madame  de  la  Parade,  as  possessing  the  uncommon  courage  and 
presence  of  mind  you  have  just  admired,  not  merely  in  the  ' 
spring-tide  of  her  existence,  but  retaining  it  as  well  in  the 
autumn  of  life. 

This  document,  aside  of  its  historical  value,  gives  interest- 
ing glimpses  of  the  vicissitudes  of  the  daily  life  of  the  Canadian 


122  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

seigneurs  in  those  time.  Possibly  you  will  forgive  me  for 
trespassing  on  your  indulgence  a  few  moments  longer,  to  give 
you  in  English  a  few  extracts.  "  Many  years,"  says  the 
Memoir,*  "  after  Mile  de  Verch6res'  marriage  to  M.  Tarieu  de 
la  Naudi^re,  Sieur  de  la  Parade,  she  was  instrumental  in  saving 
his  life  a  second  time.  The  Iroquois,  true  to  their  sanguinary 
instincts  and  to  their  deadly  hatred  of  the  French,  never  pad- 
dled past  Ste.-Anne  de  la  Parade  without  leaving  there  some 
trace  of  their  hatred.  About  sunset,  one  mellow  September 
afternoon,  either  believing  that  M.  de  la  Parade  was  absent  and 
that  they  had  a  chance  to  surprise  the  settlement,  they  landed. 
The  seignorial  manor  stood  apart  from  other  dwellings,  a  short 
distance  from  the  river,  secluded  from  public  gaze  by  a  thick 
growth  of  forest  trees.  Madame  de  la  Parade's  aged  husband 
was  confined  to  his  bed  grievously  ill.  Except  his  wife  and  a 
young  maid  servant  sixteen  years  of  age,  no  other  inmates  were 
inside. 

"The  marauding  Indians  suddenly,  landed  from  their 
canoes  which  the  rushes  hid  from  view.     One  party  marched 

*This  narrative,  adds  Judge  Baby,  I  had  from  my  aged  aunt,  Mile 
Marguerite  de  La  Naudi^re,  a  granddaughter  of  the  heroine,  who  expired  at 
Quebec  on  the  17th  of  November,  1856,  at  the  age  of  81  years. 

The  venerable  Mile  de  La  Naudi^re  was  for  years  in  Quebec  a  kind 
of  landmark  between  the  past  and  the  present.  Her  memory,  conversational 
powers  and  repartees,  made  her  sought  after  by  the  highest  in  the  land  ; 
her  dignified  and  courteous  manners  reminded  one  of  the  old  school. 
More  than  once  our  Governors  General  and  their  families  called  on  her,  in 
her  St.-Louis  Street  mansion  ;  among  others,  the  Earl  of  Elgin,  Sir  Edmund 
Walker  Head,  Lord  Monck.  After  his  departure,  Lord  Elgin,  kept  up  with 
her  a  friendly  correspondence  until  her  death. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        I2j 

towards  the  house,  whilst  another  crouched  behind  the  trees 
waiting  for  a  signal. 

"  A  glimpse  at  the  savages  revealed  to  Madame  de  la 
Parade  what  fate  awaited  her  and  her  husband.  She  forthwith 
bolted  and  barricaded  the  front  door  as  best  she  could,  coolly 
directing  her  maid  to  fetch  the  only  two  fire-arms  left  by  the 
absent  farm  hands,  she  determined  to  face  the  foe,  and  if  possible 
keep  them  outside. 

"  The  leader  of  the  band  and  his  blood-thirsty  crew,  had 
scarcely  ascended  the  wide  flight  of  steps  which  led  to  the 
front  door  of  the  manor,  when  she,  without  even  allowing  him  to 
speak,  addressed  him  in  his  own  dialect  and  in  a  firm  voice 
asked  what  he  wanted. 

"  The  chief,  taken  aback  at  hearing  a  white  woman  speak  his 
language,  replied,  in  a  subdued  tone,  that  he  wished  to  confer 
with  M.  de  la  Parade — that  he  was  the  bearer  of  an  important 
message,  stating  that  he  and  his  friends  knew  enough  of  the 
hospitality  of  M.  de  la  Parade  to  warrant  their  visit  to  his  house 
and  to  expect  meat  and  drink  as  well ;  that  they  were  hungry  and 
thirsty,  adding  also  that  a  little  fire-water  would  be  acceptable. 

"  Madame  de  la  Parade,  without  exhibiting  the  slightest 
fear,  replied  that  her  husband  was  engaged,  could  not  see  them 
told  them  to  leave. 

"  The  chief,  convinced  that  he  had  merely  to  deal  with  a 
lone  woman,  exchanged  in  a  whisper  a  few  words  with  his 
followers  ;  then,  raising  his  tone,  insolently  answered  that  if  the 
door  was  not  instantly  thrown  open,  that  they  would  soon 
find  a  way  to  enter. 

"  Well  did  Madame  de  la  Parade  know  the  treatment  which 


124  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

awaited  her,  should  the  Indians  enter.  Her  husband  lay  help- 
lessly ill,  within  hearing  of  all  this.  Something  had  to  be  done, 
and  that  instantly.  Sending  up  to  heaven  a  prayer  for  help, 
she  felt  stronger,  and,  undaunted,  spoke  as  follows :  '  The  door 
shall  remain  closed,  and  if  you  refuse  to  go,  I  shall  find  means 
to  compel  you.' 

"  The  savages  used  their  utmost  strength  in  order  to  break 
in  ;  in  those  days  the  door  of  a  Canadian  manor  required  to  be 
strong,  as  you  may  be  sure. 

"  Baffled,  the  Indians  rushed  down  the  steps,  uttering  their 
terrible  war-whoop.  Then  crowding  abreast  a  window,  through 
which  they  felt  sure  to  find  a  passage,  they  poured  in  a  volley  of 
shot  and  bullets  which  went  crashing  through  the  sash  and 
lodged  in  the  wainscot  and  rafters. 

"  Quick  as  lightning,  Madame  de  la  Parade  fired  on  the 
murderous  redskins,  first  one  gun,  then  another.  Astonished 
by  this  vigorous  reception,  the  marauders  wavered,  shrank  back, 
and  finally  retreated  bearing  one  of  their  comrades  wounded 
in  the  leg.  Instantly  reloading,  Madame  de  la  Parade,  had 
just  time,  under  the  gathering  shadows  of  evening,  to  give  the 
retreating  horde  another  volley.  One  of  those  panics  common 
to  Indians  seems  to  have  occurred  ;  and  fancying  the  place  was 
protected  they  ran  to  their  canoes. 

"  The  brave  woman's  trials  were  only  half  over,  for  at  this 
moment,  her  young  maid  came  rushing  to  her,  saying :  '  The 
roof  is  on  fire!'  Parthian  like,  in  their  retreat,  the  Iroquois, 
had  directed  flaming  arrows  towards  the  old  peaked  moss- 
covered  gable.  How  could  her  sick  husband  escape  the  flames  ? 
Even  if  she  should  succeed  in  carrying  him  beyond  their  reach, 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        12^ 

were  not  the  Indians  lurking  in  the  neighboring  woods  and 
watching  for  a  chance  to  pounce  upon  them  ? 

"  She  was  not  yet  aware  that  the  defeated  savages  were 
retreating  in  their  canoes  from  an  imaginary  pursuing  foe. 
Her  first  impulse  was  to  ascend  to  the  burning  roof  with  her 
maid  and  pour  water  on  the  flames ;  her  next  thought  was  to 
rush  through  the  smoke  and  fire- to  the  apartment  where  M. 
de  la  Parade  lay,  and  implore  him  to  rise  and  save  himself. 
But  all  in  vain,  he  was  too  enfeebled.  Thanking  his  devoted  wife, 
he  replied  that  it  seemed  as  if  it  were  the  will  of  God  he  should 
die  then.  'Adieu!  Adieu!  my  kind  and  true  friend,' said  he, 'twice 
under  God's  dispensation  your  heroism  has  saved  me  from  the 
Indian  tomahawk.    To-day,  God  calls  me  !  I  am  ready.    Adieu.' 

"  Madame  de  la  Parade,  momentarily  crushed  by  this  har- 
rowing scene,  suddenly  felt  herself  endowed  with  a  supernatural 
fortitude,  and,  seizing  her  sick  husband  in  her  arms  she  carried 
him  out,  deposited  him  on  the  grass,  and  then,  physically  and 
mentally  exhausted  fell  insensible  by  his  side. 

"  The  evening  was  c«lm  and  the  fire  smouldered  slowly  on 
the  house-top.  Soon  a  shower  which  had  been  threatening, 
broke,  and  in  a  measure  put  out  the  fire  whose  reflection  had 
attracted  the  tenantry  who  came  to  the  rescue." 

The  heroine  of  Verch^res  expired  at  Ste.-Anne,  on  the 
7th  August,  1737. 

Have  these  remarkable  careers  no  lessons  ?  In  Madame  de 
Champlain,  we  have  a  lady  of  noble  birth,  youth  and  beauty ;  a 
life  pure  and  gentle,  and  kindliness  combined  to  such  a  degree 
as  to  make  the  possessor  appear  "  more  than  human  "  to  those 
among  whom  fate  had  cast  her. 


126  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Madame  de  la  Tour  exhibits  a  sterner,  more  Spartan 
spirit,  ready  at  all  times  to  confront  war  contumely,  adversity 
in  its  direst  form  ;  a  model  of  sweet,  womanly  devotion  to  her 
husband  and  of  self-sacrifice  to  duty. 

In  Mile  de  Verch^res,  you  have  to  admire  the  warm  blood 
of  youth  blending  with  the  cool  courage  of  maturer  years  ;  the 
masculine  daring  of  the  sterner  portion  of  humanity  pulsating 
through  a  heart  of  fourteen  summers,  and  gathering  strength 
with  the  weight  of  years. 

Allow  me  to  close  my  remarks  with  the  sentiment 
expressed  in  my  opening :  May  Providence,  in  its  clemency, 
continue  to  send  us  more  of  those  true,  tender  and  brave 
spirits,  beacons  from  on  high,  to  light  up  the  rugged  path  of 
erring,  mortal  man ! 


Works  on  Canadian  History  consulted  : — 

Histoire  de  la    Colonie  Franqaise  en    Canada. — Faili.oU,  Vol.  I, 
pp.  17,  185,  252. 

Cours  d' Histoire  du  Canada. — Ferland,  Vol.  I,  p.  234. 

First  Conquest  of  Canada, — KiRKE,  p.  69. 

Relations  des  Jisuites. 

Chroniques  des  Ursulines  de  Meaux. — ^JOURNAL  DE  QUEBEC,  1854. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,        I2y 

History  of  Nova  5i-tf//Vi.— Beamish  Murdoch. 

History  of  Acadia.—].  Cavenay. 

Histoire  des  Grandes  Families  Fran^aises  du  Canada. — DANIEL. 

Histoire  du  Gi«rtrf<?.— Charlevoix,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  124,  125. 

Histoire  du  Canada.— B\BAVV>  pire. 

Pantheon  Canadien. — BlBAUDyV««^,  p.  295. 

Histoire    de    I'Amirique    Septentrionale. — B\QUEV!LLE     DE     LA 
POTHERNE. 

Mimoires  et  Lettres  de  famille. — Hon.  Judge  Geo.  Baby. 


0  h>^i 


'>s>»»^»»'S$»»»»»>4: 


^>>»>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>^>«<<C<<<<C<<C<<<<QCC<<C<<^ 


LITERATURE  IN  CANADA. 


GEO.  STEWART,  Jr., 
D.  C.  i.,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  F.  R.  S.  C. 


Read  before  the  Canadian  Club 
of  New  York, 


EING  deeply   sensible  of   the   honor 
which  the  Canadian  Club  has  paid 
me  this  evening,  in  asking  me  to  be 
its  guest,  I  beg  of  you  to  accept  in 
return  my  heart-felt  thanks.    I  thank 
you  also  for  the  very  flattering  invi- 
tation which  has  been  given  me   to 
address  you  on  a  subject,  in  which  all 
Canadians   must,  I  am  sure,  take  a 
warm  and  appreciative  interest.     To  have  my  name  inscribed 
on  your  list  of  guests,  is  an  honor  which  I  need  not  assure 
you,  I  value  most  highly.     The  Canadian  Club  of  New  York, 


I  JO  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

is  an  institution  of  which  we  Canadians  feel  justly  proud, 
because  we  know  that  it  is  a  credit  to  our  countrymen 
in  every  way,  that  it  is  continually  extending  and  broadening 
its  influence  and  importance,  and  that  its  roll  of  mem- 
bership represents  all  that  is  best  in  the  political,  social  and 
commercial  activity  of  Canada's  sons  in  the  great  American 
metropolis.  But  admirable  as  its  character  for  hospitality 
unquestionably  is,  the  Club  is  more  than  a  means  for  supplying 
a  place  of  pleasant  resort  for  resident  and  visiting  Canadians 
in  New  York.  It  is  an  educator,  in  a  certain  sense,  and  the 
present  series  of  literary  and  social  entertainments,  will  do 
much  to  stimulate  Canadian  sentiment,  patriotism  and  aspira- 
tion. The  pleasure  of  these  meetings  too,  is  materially 
heightened  by  the  happy  manner  in  which  your  Committee 
considers  the  claims  of  that  element  in  our  population  which 
is  always  fair  and  gentle,  and  to  whose  refining  influences 
the  sterner  sex  owes  so  much.  With  such  sharers  of  your 
exile  from  your  native  land,  as  I  see  before  me  to-night, 
radiant  and  charming  as  they  all  are,  I  am  forced  to  the 
conclusion  that  your  self-imposed  banishment  cannot  be  so 
very  hard  to  bear  after  all.  You  do  right,  Mr.  President,  in 
opening  your  splendid  rooms  to  the  ladies  on  occasions  like 
the  present  one,  and  it  is  an  example  which  I  think  ought  to 
be  followed,  and  no  doubt  will  be,  by  other  clubs. 

But,  you  have  asked  me  to  address  you  a  few  words  on 
the  subject  of  literature  in  Canada.  As  you  are  aware,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  Canadian  authorship  is  still  in  its  infancy.  The 
plough  has  proved  a  mightier  engine  than  the  pen,  and  author- 
ship has  been  followed  feebly  and  precariously  by  men  and 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         iji 

women,  who  have  never  lost  heart  in  their  work,  but 
whose  labors  have  been  rewarded  in  too  many  instances,  I 
fear,  by  those  soft  words,  which,  however  sweet  to  the  ear, 
fail  entirely  to  butter  our  parsnips.  No  one  has  been  able, 
in  Canada,  to  make  the  writing  of  books  his  sole  means 
of  living.  We  have  had  to  write  our  books  under  our  breath, 
as  it  may  be  said,  and  the  marvel  is  that  we  have  been  able  to 
produce,  under  such  depressing  circumstances,  so  many  works 
of  even  respectable  merit.  The  Canadian  author  is  either  a 
professional  or  a  business  man,  and  his  literary  work 
must  be  done,  almost  as  an  accomplishment,  during  the  leisure 
moments  which  may  be  snatched  from  the  exacting  occupa- 
tions of  real  life.  Of  course,  authorship  prosecuted  under  such 
disadvantages,  must  suffer,  but  notwithstanding  many  draw- 
backs, the  mental  output  of  the  Dominion  is  not  inconsiderable. 
At  the  recent  Indian  and  Colonial  Exhibition,  in  London,  no 
fewer  than  3,000  volumes,  all  by  native  authors,  were  shown  in 
the  library  of  the  Canadian  section,  and  this  exhibit,  as  you 
know,  by  no  means  exhausts  the  list  of  books  actually  written 
by  Canadians,  during  a  century  of  time.  The  collection  repre- 
sented Canadian  authorship  in  every  department  of  its  literature, 
science,  history  and  poetry  being  especially  large  and  note- 
worthy, while  the  other  branches  were  not  neglected. 

Territorially,  our  country  is  extensive,  and  our  literary 
sons  and  daughters  are  to  be  encountered,  now,  from  British 
Columbia  to  Cape  Breton,  doing  work  which  is  good,  and  some 
of  it  destined  to  stand.  Frechette,  the  laureate  of  the 
French  Academy,  not  long  ago,  said,  "  Be  Canadians  and  the 
future  is  yours."     "  That  which  strikes  us  most  in  your  poems," 


IJ2  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History , 

said  one  of  the  Forty  Immortals  to  the  poet,  "  is  that  the 
modern  style,  the  Parisian  style  of  your  verses  is  united  to 
something  strange,  so  particular  and  singular  it  seems  an 
exotic,  disengaged  from  the  entire  work."  This  perfume  of 
originality  which  this  author  discovered  was  at  that  time 
unknown  to  Frechette.  What  was  it  ?  It  was  the  secret  of 
their  nationality,  the  certificate  of  their  origin,  their  Canadian 
stamp.  And  it  is  important  never  to  allow  this  character  to 
disappear.  There  is  much  in  this.  Our  country  is  full  of 
history,  full  of  character,  full  of  something  to  be  met  with 
nowhere  else  in  the  world.  A  mine  of  literary  wealth  is  to  be 
had  in  every  section  of  the  dominion,  and  it  only  awaits  the 
hand  of  the  craftsman.  Bret  Harte  opened  up  a  new  phase  of 
American  character  as  he  discovered  it  in  wild  California.  Miss 
Murfree  found  the  Tennessee  mountains  rich  in  incident  and 
strong  in  episodes  of  an  intensely  dramatic  color,  and  Mr. 
Cable  developed  in  a  brilliant  and  picturesque  way  life  and 
movement  among  the  Creoles  of  the  South.  Have  we  no 
Canadian  authors  among  us,  who  can  do  as  much  for  us? 
Lesp^rance,  it  is  true,  has  dealt  with  one  period  of  our  history, 
in  a  captivating  way.  Kirby  has  told  the  story  of "  The  Golden 
Dog  "  with  fine  and  alert  sympathies.  Miss  Macfarlane's  "  Chil- 
dren of  the  Earth  "  depends  on  Nova  Scotia  for  its  scenic 
effects.  Marmette  has  presented,  with  some  power,  half  a 
dozen  romances  of  the  French  regime,  while  Frechette  has 
dramatized  the  story  of  Papineau's  rebellion. 

But  Canada  is  full  of  incident  and  romance,  and  the  poet  and 
novelist  have  fruitful  themes  enough  on  which  to  build  many  a 
fanciful  poem  and  story.     In  history,  we  have  much  good  writ- 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         ijj 

ing,  and  I  trust  you  will  permit  me  to  say,  that  I  think  our  young 
historians  would  do  well  not  to  attempt  to  do  too  much. 
I  would  advise  them  to  deal  with  periods  rather  than  to  write 
complete  histories  of  the  whole  country.  Mr.  John  Charles 
Dent  has  been  most  successful  on  two  occasions,  giving  us  the 
history  of  old  Canada,  from  the  Union  of  1841  to  the  present 
time,  and  following  up  his  labors  with  the  "  Story  of  the  Upper 
Canadian  Rebellion."  Mr.  Edmund  Collins  has  written  of 
Canada  under  Lord  Lome's  administration,  and  in  the  Life 
and  Times  of  Sir  John  A.  Macdonald  he  has  discussed,  with 
considerable  independence,  Canada's  political  and  economical 
progress  during  a  burning  period  of  our  history.  The  Abb6s 
Casgrain  and  Faillon,  Judge  Gray,  Mr.  Globensky,  Mr.  Tur- 
cotte,  Mr.  George  E.  Fenety  and  Mr.  de  Gasp^  have  also  dealt 
with  epochs,  and  so  have  Messrs,  David,  Carrier,  Bryce  and 
Adam. 

In  works  relating  to  parliamentary  procedure  and  prac- 
tice, we  have  the  notable  contributions  of  Alpheus  Todd, 
John  George  Bourinot  and  Joseph  Doutre.  And  in  books  of 
purely  antiquarian  character,  we  have  the  investigations  of 
Scadding,  Hawkins,  Lemoine  and  Lawrence,  while  our  annals, 
from  day  to  day,  have  found  an  industrious  exponent  in  Mr. 
Henry  J.  Morgan.  Our  larger  historians  are  chiefly  Ferland, 
Faillon,  Garneau,  Withrow,  Campbell,  Suite,  Beamish  Murdoch 
and  McMullen.  In  biography  we  have  the  names  of  Fennings 
Taylor,  Alexander  MacKenzie,  Charles  Lindsey,  P.  B.  Casgrain 
and  William  Rattray.  In  poetry  we  have  a  good  showing,  but 
I  need  scarcely  name  more  than  Reade,  Roberts,  Mair,  Murray, 
Heavysege,  Miss  Machar,  Mrs.  Harrison  ("  Seranus  ")  among 


ij^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History ^ 

the  English  ;  and  Cr^mazie,  Frechette,  Le  May,  Legendre  and 
Routhier  among  the  French.  The  list  would  not  be  complete 
were  I  to  omit  a  few  of  our  essayists  and  writers  on  special 
topics,  such  as  Col.  G.  T.  Denison,  whose  history  of  Cavalry 
won  the  great  Russian  prize,  Principal  Grant,  Chauveau, 
Le  Sueur,  Samuel  Dawson,  Oxley,  Jack,  Griffin,  Ellis,  Faucher 
de  St.  Maurice,  Harper  and  George  Murray.  To  studies  on 
political  economy  and  finance  we  have  contributed  no  promi- 
nent names  as  writers  of  treatises  on  those  subjects,  but  George 
Hague  and  the  late  Charles  F.  Smithers  of  Montreal  have 
presented  the  banking  side  of  the  argument,  in  sound,  practical 
papers  of  great  value.  In  almost  every  department  of  scientific 
investigation  and  thought  we  have  an  array  of  men  of  whom 
any  country  might  be  proud,  some  of  them  having  a  fame 
which  is  world-wide.  Briefly,  I  may  mention  a  few  of  these, 
such  as  the  Dawsons,  father  and  son,  Drs.  Wilson,  Hunt, 
Hamel,  Selwyn,  Bell,  Lafiamme,  Lawson,  MacGregor,  Bailey, 
and  Messrs.  Sandford  Fleming,  Matthews,  Murdoch,  Carpmael, 
Johnson,  Hoffman,  Bayne  and  Macfarlane.  Of  course,  this 
list,  by  no  means,  includes  all. 

Thf  education  of  the  French  Canadian  is  much  more 
literary  than  scientific.  His  taste  for  letters  is  cultivated  at 
quite  an  early  age,  and  oratory,  belles-lettres  and  the  classics 
form  by  far  the  stronger  part  of  his  mental  outfit  on  leaving 
college.  Higher  thought  and  scientific  research  have  few 
charms  for  him  which  he  cannot  withstand,  and  he  turns,  with 
passion  almost,  to  poetry,  romance,  light  philosophy  and 
history.  He  is  an  insatiable  reader,  but  his  taste  is  circum- 
scribed and  narrowed,  and  following  the  bent  of  his  inclinations. 


Arty  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         ij§ 

he  eschews  all  the  troublesome  paradoxes  of  literature,  avoids 
speculative  authors,  and  reads  with  delight  and  appreciation 
the  books  which  furnish  him  with  the  most  amusement.  He 
seeks  recreation  in  his  reading  matter,  and,  sympathizing  with 
Emerson,  though  he  scarcely  knows  a  line  of  that  author,  he 
makes  it  a  point  to  read  only  the  books  which  please  him  the 
best.  He  likes  clever  verses  and  a  good  novel,  and  as  the 
printing-press  of  France  furnishes  exemplars  of  these  in 
abundance,  he  is  never  put  to  straits  for  supplies.  Naturally 
enough,  when  the  French  Canadian  attempts  authorship,  he 
writes  poetry,  romances,  chroniqucs  and  history.  The  latter  he 
does  very  well,  and  exhibits  industry  and  skill  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  his  materials  and  the  grouping  of  his  facts.  His  work 
rarely  fails  in  artistic  merit,  and  its  strength  lies  in  the  easy 
flow  and  elegance  of  its  diction,  and  the  spirit  in  which  the 
author  approaches  his  ubject.  Quebec's  list  of  poets  is  a  long 
one.     Almost  every  y-educated  young  man  can,  at  will, 

produce  a  copy  of  well-turned  verse,  but  fortunately  all  do  not 
exercise  their  power,  nor  do  those  who  print  poems  in  the 
newspapers  always  make  volumes  of  their  lays  afterwards. 
Strange  to  say,  Quebec  is  singularly  badly-off  for  female  poets. 
I  know  of  but  one  or  two  ladies  who  have  courted  the  muses 
and  printed  their  verses.  We  must  not  forget,  however,  that 
a  poem  is  often  emphasized  in  the  tying  of  a  ribbon,  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  hair,  and  in  the  fashioning  of  a  bow,  and  it 
would  be  unfair  to  describe  Quebec's  young  women  as  unpoeti- 
cal  merely  because  they  have  not  seen  fit  to  put  their 
thoughts  into  song.  There  are  many  male  poets  in  the 
province,  but  it  will  be  unnecessary  to  concern  ourselves,  at 


ij6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History ^ 

this  time,  with  more*  than  half  a  dozen  of  the  better-known 
ones.  These  are  Crdmazie,  Frechette,  Le  May,  Garneau, 
Routhier  and  Suite,  each  distinct  from  the  other,  in  style, 
touch  and  motive.  Joseph  Octave  Cr^mazie  deserves,  perhaps, 
the  special  title  of  national  poet  of  French  Canada,  but  Louis 
Honors  Frechette,  whose  versatility  and  fancy  rise  to  great 
heights,  is  not  far  below  him.  There  are  few  prominent 
novelists,  as  I  have  said,  of  either  French  or  English  origin. 
The  name  of  James  de  Mille,  a  New-Brunswicker,  stands  out 
prominently,  but  his  fiction  is  little  tinctured  with  the  Cana- 
dian flavor.  Among  the  French,  we  have  only  Chauveau, 
Marmette,  Bourassa  and  Le  May. 

Literature  in  Canada,  owes  much  to  the  various  literary 
and   historial    societies,    which    exist    in    nearly  all    the  chief 
towns   of    the    Dominion.     The   parent   of   them    all    is    the 
old   Literary  and   Historical  Society  of  Quebec,   which   was 
founded  in   1824,  by  the  Earl  of  Dalhousie,  then   Governor- 
General.      This  institution  owns  many  rare  manuscripts  and 
printed  books,  relating  to  the  early  history  of  the  country,  and 
every   year   its   treasures   are   explored   and    investigated    by 
historians  and  enquirers  from  all  parts  of  the  Continent.     The 
Society  has  published   some   valuable  memoirs,  transactions 
and  manuscripts  in  French  and  in  English,  and  these  are  held 
in  high  repute  by  scholars  everywhere.     In  Montreal,  Toronto, 
Halifax,  St.  John,  N.  B.,  and  Winnipeg,  similar  societies  enjoy 
a    flourishing    and    useful    existence.      Four  years   ago,    the 
Marquis  of  Lome,  founded  the  Royal  Society  of  Canada.    The 
membership  was  limited  to  eighty  men,  and  the  objects  of  the 
society  may  be  thus  described  :  firstly,  to  encourage  studies  and 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        ijj 

investijjations  in  literature  and  science ;  secondly,  to  publish 
transactions  containing  the  minutes  of  proceedings  at  meetings, 
records  of  the  work  performed,  original  papers  and  memoirs  of 
merit,  and  such  other  documents  as  might  be  deemed  worthy 
of  publication  ;  thirdly,  to  offer  prizes  or  other  inducements  for 
valuable  papers  on  subjects  relating  to  Canada,  and  to  aid 
researches  already  begun  and  carried  so  far  as  to  render  their 
ultimate  value  probable ;  fourthly,  to  assist  in  the  collection  of 
specimens,  with  a  view  to  the  formation  of  a  Canadian  Museum 
of  Archives,  Ethnology,  Archaeology  and  Natural  History. 
The  society  is  divided  into  four  sections;  i. — French  Litera- 
ture, with  history,  archaeology  and  allied  subjects ;  2. — 
English  Literature  with  history,  archaeology  and  allied 
subjects ;  3. — Mathematical,  chemical  and  physical  sciences ; 
4. — Geological  and  biological  sciences.  The  sections  meet 
separately  for  the  reading  and  discussion  of  papers,  or  other 
business,  during  the  annual  session  of  the  society,  which  has  so 
far  assembled  at  Ottawa  in  the  month  of  May.  These 
meetings  have  been  most  successful,  in  point  of  attendance 
and  work  actually  performed,  and  the  usefulness  of  the  society 
has  been  greatly  extended  by  its  catholicity  and  liberality 
towards  kindred  institutions,  almost  every  one  of  which,  in 
Canada,  has  been  invited  annually  to  send  delegates  to  the 
Royal.  These  representatives  have  the  privilege  of  taking  part 
in  all  general  or  sectional  meetings  for  reading  and  discussing 
papers.  They  may  also  communicate  a  statement  of  original 
work  done,  and  papers  published  during  the  year  by  their  own 
societies,  and  may  report  on  any  matters  which  the  Royal 
Society  may  usefully   aid   in   publication  or  otherwise.    The 


ij8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Dominion  Government  aids  the  Royal  Society  by  an  annual 
grant  of  $5,000,  which  is  set  aside  for  the  publication  of  the 
transactions  and  proceedings.  Thus  far,  four  large  volumes 
have  been  published,  and  a  glance  at  their  contents  affords 
convincing  testimony  of  the  value  of  the  work  which  the 
society  is  doing.  Its  weak  point,  doubtless,  rests  in  the  literary 
sections.  But  even  those  departments  may  be  made  valuable  and 
eminently  useful  in  time.  In  archaeology,  history  and  ethnology 
the  field  is  wide,  and  it  is  satisfactory  to  note  that  the  two  first 
sections  are  already  devoting  their  energies  to  their  special  line 
of  work  with  vigor  and  zeal.  In  one  branch  of  study,  in  particu- 
lar, that  of  ethnology,  the  Royal  Society  has  an  important  duty 
to  perform.  The  Indian  population  is  fast  disappearing.  In  a 
few  years,  the  characteristics  of  the  red  races  will  be  wholly 
lost.  It  is  necessary  to  preserve  these,  while  the  tribes  remain, 
and  this  work  is  being  done  by  the  second  section  of  the  Royal 
Society,  and  it  is  a  work  which  possesses  a  value  that  cannot 
be  over  estimated.  Of  course,  in  historical  research,  and  in 
archaeological  investigation,  the  extent  of  the  society's  labors 
is  practically  unlimited.  Royal  societies,  with  similar  objects 
in  view,  exist  in  various  quarters  of  the  globe.  Canada  surely, 
is  old  enough  and  advanced  enough  to  have  one  also. 

In  a  paper  such  as  this,  some  reference  should  be  made  to 
the  really  admirable  Department  of  Archives,  which  is  main- 
tained by  the  Dominion  Government  at  Ottawa.  It  is  under 
the  charge  of  that  competent  and  zealous  officer,  Mr.  Douglas 
Brymner,  whose  tastes  and  training  well  fit  him  for  the  duties 
of  his  office.  He  has  really  created  the  department  and  made 
it  one  of  the  most  efficient  in  the  public  service  of  Canada. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        ijg 

Fifteen  years  ago  the  historical  records  of  Canada  had  scarcely 
an  abiding  place.  We  had  no  regular  system  by  which  letters, 
pamphlets,  printed  books  and  documents  and  manuscripts 
relating  to  the  commercial,  literary  and  political  activity  of  the 
country  could  be  preserved,  and  rendered  accessible  to  the 
student.  Thousands  of  valuable  papers  were  in  imminent 
danger  of  being  lost ;  many  undoubtedly  did  perish.  In 
1 87 1,  a  number  of  literary  men  of  Canada,  petitioned  the 
legislature  to  organize  a  branch  of  the  public  service  by  means 
of  which  historical  data  might  be  preserved.  Parliament 
promptly  acceded  to  this  request,  and  the  Minister  of  Agri- 
culture added  the  Archives  branch  to  his  department.  Mr. 
Brymner  was  placed  in  charge,  and  he  began  his  work  of 
collecting  absolutely  ab  ovo,  not  a  single  document  of  any  sort 
being  in  hand  when  he  commenced.  To-day,  the  shelves  of  the 
Department  contain  upwards  of  seven  thousand  volumes  of 
historical  papers  on  every  conceivable  subject  of  interest  to 
Canadians.  The  work  of  indexing  these  enormous  collections 
goes  on  daily,  and  fresh  matter  is  constantly  being  added,  Mr. 
Brymner's  aim  being  to  make  the  Archives  truly  national  in 
every  respect  and  as  complete  as  possible. 

Much  has  been  written  about  the  law  of  copyright.  Canada 
passed  a  fairly  good  act  in  1875,  but  as  it  contravened  the 
Imperial  statute,  it  was  not  long  before  the  authorities  in 
London  declared  the  act  ultra  vires,  and  our  publishers  have 
been  in  a  most  unhappy  frame  of  mind  ever  since.  In  a  word, 
the  business  of  publishing  books  in  Canada  is  at  a  pretty  low 
ebb,  and  publishers  find  little  encouragement  in  extending 
their  trade.    The  Canadian  author  is  not  so  badly  off,  just  now. 


1^0  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History ^ 

Under  the  old  British  act,  a  very  good  rule  only  worked  one 
way.  Thus,  the  English  author  who  copyrighted  his  book  in 
England  was  fully  protected  in  every  colony  flying  the  British 
flag.  The  Canadian  or  Australian  author,  however,  could  only 
obtain  copyright  in  the  colony  or  province  where  his  book  was 
published.  The  other  day,  an  amendment  was  made  to  the 
act  by  the  Imperial  Parliament,  and  by  its  terms,  any  work 
published  in  the  Queen's  dominions  is  fully  protected  ?,!!  r"er 
the  vast  empire.  The  various  colonial  governments  were 
communicated  with  on  the  subject,  and  all  but  New  South 
Wales  replied  favorably.  That  far-off  dependency  remains  to 
be  heard  from.  Meanwhile,  the  act  was  passed,  and  for  the 
benefit  of  New  South  Wales  a  clause  was  inserted  exempting 
any  colony  from  the  operation  of  the  measure,  should  it  prefer 
to  keep  to  the  old  order  of  things. 

And,  just  here,  is  a  good  place  to  ask,  do  Canadians  read 
the  productions  of  their  own  authors  ?  What  encouragement 
do  they  give  the  writers  of  Canadian  books?  It  is  a  fact  that 
Canada  cannot  support  a  really  first-class  magazine.  The 
experiment  of  magazine  publishing  has  been  tried  in  all  the 
chief  cities  of  the  Dominion,  but  it  has  failed  in  every  instance, 
though  the  trial  has  been  made  honestly  and  at  considerable 
sacrifice  on  the  part  of  the  promoters  of  the  enterprise.  Every 
now  and  then  we  hear  the  question  :  Why  does  Car^ada  not 
have  a  magazine  ?  The  Canadians  read  magazines,  and  pay  for 
them.  This  is  true  ;  but  it  is  also  true  that  they  want  the  best. 
Their  standard  is  high,  and  unless  the  publisher  can  supply  a 
publication  which  can  compete  with  the  important  old  world 
and  United  States  serials,  they  will  not  have  it,  no  matter  how 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        141 

patriotic  they  may  suppose  thc:nselves  to  be.  Of  course,  the 
day  is  corrMtig  when  Canada  will  have  its  great  monthly  and 
still  greater  quarterly,  but  the  time  is  not  yet  ripe.  In  the 
meantime,  the  question  which  presses  for  solution  is,  what  are 
we  doing,  in  a  helpful  way,  for  our  own  authors  in  the 
Dominion  ?  Are  we  encouraging  them  to  write  and  publish  ? 
We  know  that  men  like  Dr.  Daniel  Wilson,  Prof.  Clark  Murray 
and  Mr.  Grant  Allen,  and  some  others  who  could  be  named, 
never  think  of  publishing  their  books  in  Canada.  They  have 
something  to  say,  and  expression  to  their  views  is  always  given 
in  the  largest  possible  field.  They  find  it  to  their  advantage 
to  publish  in  England  or  in  the  United  States.  Small  editions 
of  their  books  are  sometimes  sold  to  Canadian  booksellers, 
either  in  sheets,  or  bound  up  within  cloth  covers,  but  the  copies 
so  disposed  of,  yield  scarcely  a  tithe  of  the  remuneration  which 
reaches  the  successful  author,  from  the  sale  of  his  books  in  the 
great  markets  in  which  they  first  see  the  light.  The  Canadian 
author  cannot  be  blamed  for  making  the  most  of  his  opportu- 
nities, in  this  way.  The  market  in  Canada  is  limited,  and,  as 
a  general  thing,  if  a  Canadian  book  is  published  in  Canada,  little 
can  be  realized  out  of  the  venture.  There  are  exceptions  to 
every  rule  of  course,  and  a  few  Canadian  books,  written  and 
published  in  the  Dominion,  have  repaid  their  authors  very 
well.  Mr.  Dent's  Last  Forty  Years  and  his  Story  of  the  Upper 
Canadian  Rebellion,  Principal  Grant's  Ocean  to  Ocean,  Mr. 
Bourinot's  book  on  Parliamentary  Practice,  Picturesque  Canada, 
Mr.  Bengough's  amusing  Caricature  History  of  Canadian 
Politics,  Mr.  Lemoine's  historical  sketches,  and  perhaps, 
half  a  dozen  other  books,  have  yielded  handsome  returns  to 


142  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

their  authors,  but  the  great  majority  of  our  Canadian  books 
have  hardly  paid  the  publisher  in  his  outlay  for  printing  and 
binding.  Mr.  John  Lovell,  whose  experience  in  the  business 
of  book-publishing  has  been  varied  and  extensive,  used  to  call 
the  fruits  of  his  enterprise,  his  "  housekeepers."  Eventually, 
thousands  of  these  volumes  found  their  way  to  the  trunk- 
makers  and  the  auction  shops.  And  the  same  thing  is  still 
going  on.  Now  what  can  be  said  on  the  subject  ?  We  cannot 
force  the  public  of  Canada*  to  buy  and  read  the  works  of 
Canadian  writers.  Our  people  are  a  reading  community,  and 
judging  from  the  collection  of  books  which  may  be  seen  in 
most  houses,  their  literary  taste  is  good.  It  might  be  said 
that  Canadian  books  are  not  bought  because  the  style  of  their 
authors  is  not  of  the  highest  excellence,  that  crudity  and  not 
elegance  is  their  chief  characteristic,  and  that  in  point  of  topic 
and  treatment  they  possess  little  that  is  calculated  to  commend 
them  to  the  book-buyer.     But  is  this  true  ? 

We  often  speak  of  Canadian  literature,  but  let  us  ask 
ourselves  the  question  :  Have  we  a  literature  of  our  own  ? 
Certainly,  we  have  writers  of  books;  but  does  the  literary  work 
which  they  perform  constitute  a  literature,  in  the  fullest  mean- 
ing of  the  term  ?  Mr.  Charles  Dudley  Warner  has  voiced  the 
idea  that  the  lack  of  intellectual  activity  of  the  Canadians  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  they  have  to  put  forth  so  much  of  their 
physical  energy  in  an  endeavor  to  keep  warm.  But  Mr. 
Warner's  delicious  satire  is  often  extravagant,  we  know,  and 
we  also  know  that  he  is  never  quite  so  extravagant  as  when  he 
undertakes  to  deal  with  Canadian  affairs.  Mr.  Carter  Troop, 
the  other  day,  discussed  Mr.  Warner's  views,  in  some  sharp 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        143 

paragraphs,  in  the  New  York  Critic  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he 
felt  constrained  to  acknowledge  that  in  Canada  there  was  con- 
siderable "  literary  feebleness."  The  cause  of  this  he  ascribes 
to  our  "  humble  political  status."  "  As  a  colony,"  he  writes, 
"  Canada  possesses  neither  the  higher  attributes  nor  the  graver 
responsibilities  of  national  existence  ;  and  where  such  attri- 
butes and  responsibilities  are  wanting,  national  life  and  feeling, 
the  source  and  inspiration  of  all  literary  achievements,  will  be 
equally  wanting."  Of  course,  this  simply  means  that  the 
colonial  position  is  fatal  to  the  development  of  our  higher 
intellectual  life  and  movement, — literary  genius  in  fact, — and 
that  the  panacea  for  our  ills  in  that  respect  is  independence 
alone.  I  cannot  go  as  far  as  that,  though  I  must  admit  that 
the  idea  is  suggestive  and  may  be  discussed,  American  letters, 
we  know,  during  the  colonial  period,  were  feel'le  and  insignifi- 
cant. After  years  of  independence  came  a  literature,  full  of 
promise  and  character.  But  has  its  present  robust  condition 
been  reached  by  independence  merely?  Must  C  ■\nada  pursue  a 
similar  course  of  political  advancement,  if  she  would  have  a 
literature  of  marked  individuality,  color  and  strength  ?  I  should 
be  sorry  to  think  so.  Canada  is  still  young  in  years,  and  time  will 
work  a  change.  American  literature  has  grown  with  the  increase 
in  the  ranks  of  the  leisure  class  in  the  United  States,  and  educa- 
tion has  done  the  rest.  Only  a  few  decades  ago,  the  people  of 
the  great  Republic,  were  largely  dependent  on  British  and 
European  authors  for  their  intellectual  food.  Even  the  serials 
in  the  leading  magazines  of  New  York,  Boston  and  Philadelphia, 
v/ere  from  the  pens  of  English  novelists.  The  literature  which 
we  all  admire  to-day,  is  really  almost  of  yesterday.     Most  of 


144  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

us  can  remember  when  America  had  hardly  more  than  three 
or  four  fiction  writers  of  repute,  while  half  a  dozen  gentlemen 
only  were  writing  the  ballads  and  poems  of  the  nation,  and  of 
the  half-dozen,  not  more  than  four  were  distinctively  American 
in  their  treatment  of  scenery  and  incident.  Give  Canada  a 
chance.  Give  her  time  to  have  a  large  leisure  class.  Give  to 
her  literary  men  and  women,  the  incentive  and  encourage- 
ment they  need,  and  Canadian  authorship  will  not  lack  in 
individuality  and  robustness.  Much  has  been  done  in  the 
way  of  education.  Our  wealthy  men  are  endowing  colleges, 
and  founding  scholarships  in  the  universities.  Our  schools 
are  practically  free ;  in  some  of  our  provinces,  they  are 
entirely  free.  Perhaps,  we  are  crowding  too  many  men  into 
the  professions,  but  in  time^  even  this  error,  if  it  be  an  error, 
will  regulate  itself.  The  country  is  beginning  to  pay  attention 
to  what  men  of  culture  and  of  thought  have  to  say  about  the 
various  problems  of  life  and  of  human  experience.  Our  lectures 
attract  larger  and  more  appreciative  audiences.  The  people 
read  more,  and  they  are  exercising  greater  discrimination  in 
their  reading  than  they  ever  did  before,  and,  from  all  these 
signs,  I  feel  that  I  am  safe  in  predicting  that  the  day  of 
successful  Canadian  authorship  is  not  far  distant,  and  that  we 
will  yet  have  a  literature  of  which  we  may  feel  reasonably 
proud,  and  that  too,  without  changing  our  allegiance  or 
alter.i.g  our  system  of  political  and  national  life. 


"■ '*i^. 


G^  «..^  <?xr7fx..itf~- 


ECHOES  FROM  OLD  ACADIA. 


<i^. 


i      Read  before  the  Canadian  Club 
(  of  New  York. 


Prof.  Cf/AS.  G.  D.  ROBERTS, 

Kings  College.,  Windsor,  N.  S. 


THE    LIFTING   OF  THE   CURTAIN. 


ART  of  the  making  of  our  beloved 
maple-leaf  land  has  been  played 
by  the  seaward  sister  province 
which  once  together  formed  Acadia. 
Walled  round  with  fogs,  and  rocks 
and  inhospitable  seas,  Acadia,  now 
divided  into  New  Brunswick  and 
Nova  Scotia,  is  lovely  at  heart 
with  sunshine  and  fertility.  Her 
harbors  are  gateways  leading  from  a  region  of  storm  and  wild 
tides  into  a  land  of  delicious  summers,  a  land  of  tumbling 


1^6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

streams  and  blue  lakes,  of  ample  meadows  deep  with  grass  and 
flowers  drowsing  through  the  long  afternoons,  of  vast  forests  so 
thick  that  their  grim  shadows  know  scarcely  touch  of  sun. 
And  one  of  these  well  favored  Acadian  havens  lured  to  itself 
the__first__settlenient  thgt  .struck  root  in  thewhole  broad 
country,  now  called  Canada.  This  was  the  harbor  of  Port 
Royal,  wherein  de  Monts  set  a  colony  in_j6o5. 

It  was  seventy  years  before  this  that  a  drama  had  been 
opened  upon  the  Acadian  stage.  On  the  30th  of  June,  1534, 
it  began,  when  Cartier  sighted  Cape  Escuminac  (locally  now 
Skiminac),  on  the  gulf  shore  of  New  Brunswick. 

Coming  from  the  bleak,  forbidding  coasts  of  Newfound- 
land, which  he  deemed  to  be  Cain's  portion  of  the  earth,  the 
harshest  corner  of  Acadia  appeared  to  Cartier  a  Paradise.  The 
wide  water  in  which  he  found  himself  was  Miramichi  Bay. 
Not  discovering  the  Miramichi  itself,  whose  mouth  lay  hidden 
close  at  hand,  behind  long  ranges  of  sand  pits,  chains  of  islands, 
and  intricate  shoals,  he  landed  on  the  banks  of  a  lesser 
river,  not  identified  among  the  thousand  that  overlace  that 
region  with  their  silver  courses.  This  stream  rippled  shallow 
over  its  gleaming  pebbles,  and  swarmed  with  trout  and  salmon. 
The  wide  woods  about  were  of  pine  and  cedar,  elm  and  oak, 
birch,  willow,  fir,  maple  and  tamarack,  and  the  sailor's  hearts 
rejoiced  over  such  unlimited  possibilities  of  ships.  Where  the 
woods  gave  back  a  little  space,  the  ground  was  covered  with 
wild  fruits.  Great  melting  strawberries  betrayed  themselves 
by  their  red  gleams  piercing  the  matted  grass.  The  bronze- 
green  blackberry  thickets  were  heavy  with  their  yet  unripened 
fruitage,  and  the  wild  pea  trammelled  his  footsteps  with  its 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        14^ 

ropes  of  purple  and  pale  green.  This  prodigal  land  was  popu- 
lous with  game.  When  wild  pigeons  in  innumerable  flocks 
streamed  past  and  darkened  the  air,  the  heavens  seemed  as 
thick  with  wings  as  the  sea  and  streams  with  the  countless 
salmon  passing  the  shoals.  Every  sedge-grown  marsh  was 
noisy  with  ducks.  Plover  and  curlew  piped  clearly  about  the 
edges  of  the  pools.  And  the  people  possessing  this  land  were 
friendly  and  few. 

Bearing  northward,  Cartier's  weather-darkened  sails  were 
soon  wafting  him  over  the  fairest  bay  his  eyes  had  yet  rested 
upon.  Its  waters  were  clear  green,  and  scarce  rippled 
under  the  steep  sun  of  mid-July.  No  reefs,  no  shoals,  but 
here  and  there  a  dark  green  island  asleep  on  the  sleepy  tide. 
On  either  hand  a  long  receding  line  of  lofty  shores  drawing 
close  together  towards  the  west,  and  shading  gently  from  indigo 
to  pale  violet.  So  great  was  the  change  from  the  raw  winds 
of  the  gulf  to  this  sultry  sea  that  Cartier  named  it  Baie 
des  Chaleurs.  Here  they  passed  some  days  very  sweetly  in 
indolent  exploration,  in  trading  with  the  hospitable  Micmacs, 
in  feasting  on  seal  flesh  and  salmon.  So  commercial  were  the 
natives  of  this  land  that  they  bartered  the  clothes  they  wore 
for  trades  and  trinkets.  Then  Cartier  sailed  on  to  the  north, 
to  discover  the  St.  Lawrence.  And  the  picture  of  this  visit  of 
his  to  Acadian  shores  is  the  mere  fleeting  revelation  of  a  light- 
ening in  the  night,  with  thicker  darkness  following  after  it. 

AT  THE  ST.   CROIX   MOUTH. 

After  a  lapse  of  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  century,  Acadian 
history  makes  a  real  beginning  at  the  St.  Croix  mouth.     To 


V     V 


<y 


/^<?  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

the  Sieur  de  Monts  were  jjiven  letters  patent,  conferriiifj  on 
him  the  title  of  Lieutenent-General  of  the  Territory  of  Acadi/l,  i^ 
with  full  power,  between  the  40th  and  46th  parallels,  to  divide 
and  bestow  the  land  as  he  might  see  fit  ;  with  power  also  of 
monopolizing  trade,  of  making  war  and  peace,  and  ordinances 
and  law.  With  him  set  sail  from  Havre  de  Grace,  in  March 
1604,  Baron  de  Poutrincourt,  and  the  father  of  Canada, 
Champlain.  In  June  the  prospective  colony,  in  search  of  an 
abiding  place,  having  rejected  Port  Rossignol  and  the  pastoral 
valley  of  Port  Royal,  having  traversed  the  yellow  turbulence 
of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  and  discovered  the  rock-bastioned  harbor 
hollowed  by  the  outflow  of  the  St.  John,  found  itself  among 
the  myriad  islands  of  Passamaquoddy  Bay.  Even  Clamplain, 
the  faithful  chronicler,  could  keep  no  count  of  these  islands. 
A  vast  sweeping  curve  of  the  shore,  leagues  in  extent,  clasped 
the  sunny  archipelago  as  a  handful  of  jewels  ;  and  at  the  apex 
of  the  curve  a  broad  river  emptied  itself  quietly,  between 
wooded  low-lying  lands,  watched  over  by  a  solitary  peak.  This 
now  they  called  the  St.  Croix,  and  on  a  little  island  within  its 
mouth  they  resolved  to  set  their  colony.  The  waters  round 
about  were  alive  with  fish,  the  islands  in  the  bay  with  birds. 
At  the  south  or  seaward  end  of  the  island,  which  was  long  and 
narrow,  containing  about  half  a  score  of  acres,  rose  a  grassy 
knoll  upon  which  to  set  their  watch.  Save  for  a  stray  elm  or 
water-ash,  the  island  bore  but  grass  from  brink  to  brink,  and 
the  two  or  three  trees  they  found  they  cut  down  to  go  to  the 
building  of  the  fort.  This  was  raised  at  the  north  end,  and 
around  it  clustered  the  dwelling-houses,  the  storehouse,  the 
chape',  and  a  great  baking  oven  of  burnt  brick.     On  the  main 


Art,   Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        I4g 

land  near  by  they  built  a  mill,  and  sowed,  though  it  was  now  full 
summer,  their  rye  and  barley  ;  and  they  laid  out  garden  plots, 
in  loving  likeness  to  the  thyme  closes  and  beds  of  marjorifjl  ^-^^''^ 
which  sweetened  the  air  around  their  Norman  houses.  Strange 
in  their  nostrils  were  the  heavy  aromatic  odors  of  the  wild 
parsnip,  cloying  the  mid-day  breeze.  Strange  in  their  ears  w«»  A/V^-t 
the  intricate  metallic  bubblings  from  the  bobolink's  throat,  the 
chide  of  the  grackles  in  the  alder  and  swaying  elm-tops.  They 
cut  the  elm  for  building  and  the  alder  for  fagots,  and  the 
bobolink  moved  further  off  as  he  saw  his  loved  wild-parsnip 
heads  laid  low.  So  with  digging  and  building  the  summer 
passed  merrily  along.  But,  by  and  by,  the  summer  went  out  in 
a  sudden  blaze  of  scarlet  and  gold  ;  it 

"  Had  glared  against  the  noonday  and  was  not ;" 

and  a  dispiriting  greyness  stole  across  the  landscape.  When 
the  late  October  winds  began  to  pipe  over  the  shelterless 
island,  bending  the  sere,  long  grasses  all  one  way,  and  ridden 
by  such  a  legion  of  dead  leaves  that  every  brook  was  choked 
and  the  still  pools  hidden  from  sight,  their  hearts  turned  home- 
ward very  longingly.  At  last  the  Acadian  winter  broke  upon 
them,  and  it  caught  them  unawares.  The  pleasant  river  grew 
dark,  of  the  hue  of  steel,  and  chafed  past  their  thresholds  with 
a  burden  of  ice  and  debris.  The  cold  was  such  as  France  had 
never  taught  them  to  endure  or  to  conceive  of ;  sleet  and 
pitiless  winds  drove  in  through  the  chinks  of  their  rough  walls, 
till  they  crouched  over  the  meagre  fires  and  grew  sorely 
wretched  at  heart.  No  fuel  nor  water  was  on  the  island,  and 
for  both  they  had   to  face  the  fury  of  the  weather  and  the 


i^o  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

danger  of  the  sweeping  ice-cakes.  A  band  of  Indians  came 
to  their  camp  upon  the  ishind ;  and  the  colonists,  not  yet 
acquainted  with  the  friendliness  and  good  faith  of  these 
"^ouriquois,"  were  harassed  with  continual  fear  and  watchings. 
Champlain's  hope  and  cheerfulness  nothing  could  daunt,  and 
he  strove  to  sustain  the  flagging  spirits  about  him.  But  in 
vain.  Then  from  their  despondency  and  homesickness,  from 
the  cold  on  their  bodies  ill-inured  to  it,  and  from  the  salt 
unwholesomeness  of  their  fare,  came  disease  upon  them.  It 
was  a  plague,  strange  and  terrible,  for  which  they  could  find  no 
remedy.  The  mouths  of  those  stricken  swelled,  and  their 
throats,  till  they  were  choking.  Their  teeth  dropped  out  and 
their  limbs,  grown  horribly  enlarged,  were  altogether  useless. 
So  swift  was  the  disease  that  hardly  could  the  sick  be  given 
service,  and  the  dead  buried.  When  spring  came,  and  kindlier 
skies,  there  remained  alive  but  forty-fout  persons,  out  of  a  band 
of  nearly  four  score  ;  and  these,  as  soon  as  strength  returned, 
took  ship  with  the  first  propitious  weather.  South  as  far  as  Cape 
Cod  they  searched  the  coasts,  and  found  no  place  quite  to 
their  liking.  But  they  had  kept  in  mind  the  fertile  valley  and 
spacious  sheltered  basin  of  Port  Royal ;  and  thither  they 
betook  themselves,  with  whatever  could  be  carried  away 
from  their  sorrowful  winter  home.  The  fort  and  the  walls  of 
their  dwellings  they  left  standing,  and  they  sowed  the  island 
with  grain  before  forsaking  it.  The  deserted  walls  soon  feli^ 
or  were  taken  away  by  the  Indians  ;  and  the  stone  and  cedar 
foundations  are  buried  under  drift  and  river  silt.  The  island 
has  moved  up  stream  a  little,  gnawed  off  to  windward  by  the 
tides.     But  its  shape  is  still  unchanged,  so  that  the  ancient 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,        i^i 

chronicle  describes  a  familiar  spot.  The  wind  beats  steadily 
across  it  still,  the  grass  bending  before  it  with  desolate  mono- 
tony ;  and  save  for  the  solitary  light-keeper,  who  is  there  but 
from  sunset  to  sunrise,  the  island  is  as  empty  of  life  to  this 
day  as  when  Champlain  first  dropped  anchor  in  the  St.  Croix 
mouth. 

FRENCH    GARDENfJ,    SABLE    ISLAND. 

"  A  land  of  sand,  and  ruin,  and  gold." 

The  question  is  almost  literally  correct.  Scarce  anything 
but  ruin  and  sand,  is  the  bane  of  ocean-farers,  the  *'  Isle  of 
Sable."  And  though  there  may  be  indeed  but  little  gold  herein, 
yet  there  is  no  lack  of  costly  merchandise  washed  upon  its 
avaricious  shores,  and  none  can  tell  the  riches  that  lie  hid  in 
•'  the  sands  "  secretive  bosom  of  Sable  Island  !  It  is  a  name  to 
conjure  with,  raising,  as  it  created,  more  phantoms  than  any 
other  spot  on  the  Atlantic.  It  is  a  name,  when  the  fog  is 
thick  and  the  winds  are  veering  fitfully  off  the  south-east  of 
Nova  Scotia,  to  whiten  the  lips  and  cheeks  of  the  hardiest 
mariner.  The  island  has  been  given  another  name :  "  The 
charnel  house  of  North  America."  Nevertheless,  this  place  of 
horrors  has  a  strange  fascination  for  those  who  visit  it,  volun- 
tarily!  The  sepulchere  is  well  whitened.  Though  full  of  dead 
men's  bones,  the  island  is  kind  to  its  dead.  The  clean,  unresting 
currents  roll  them  and  wash  them,  the  clean  sands  swathe  and 
cover  them  away.  But  one  holds  one's  grave  in  this  island  on 
frail  tenure,  for  the  fickle  winds  and  capricious  waters  love  to 
uncover  again  even  what  they  have  most  carefully  laid  from 
sight,  and  will  shift  one's  last  couch  many  times  in  the  course 


I §2  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History,     ; 

of  a  quarter-century.  After  every  violent  gale,  when  calm  has 
returned  with  clear  nights,  may  be  seen  unknown  bleached 
skeletons  "  revisiting  the  glimpses  of  the  moon  ;"  while  others, 
by  the  self-same  wanton  gale,  have  been  lapped  away  again  in 
sandy  burial. 

The  Isle  of  Sable  is  in  great  part  a  deposit  of  the  drift  of 
meeting  currents.  Vast  eddies,  from  the  contact  of  the  gulf- 
stream's  edge  with  two  branches  of  separated  polar  current, 
circle  about  the  island,  eating  away  and  rebuilding  it  continually. 
It  is  the  nucleus  of  the  densest  fogs,  the  vortex  of  the  wildest 
storms  of  the  North  Atlantic.  Its  shape  is  roughly  that  of  a 
crescent,  22  miles  long  by  one  in  width,  and  a  shallow  lake 
divides  it  longitudinally.  It  is  moving  eastward  before  the 
prevailing  winds,  and  rapidly  decreasing  in  size.  When  f  t 
set  down  on  chart  by  Pedro  Reinel,  in  1505,  its  size  was 
more  than  as  great  again  as  we  have  it  now.  On  Reinel's 
chart  its  name  is  Santa  Cruz.  To  a  sheltered  spot  in  the 
island,  in  honor  of  the  earliest  dwellers  upon  it,  is  given  the 
name  of  the  '*  French  Gardens."  The  first  settlers  on  the  Isle 
of  Sable  became  such  by  no  free  will  of  theirs;  and  this  was 
V   v  the   manner   of   their   coming:    In    the    Spring   of    1598,  the 

Marquis  De  la  Roche,  being  made  Vice-Roy  of  Canada  and 
Acadia,  set  sail  for  his  new  dominions  with  a  shipload  of 
convicts  for  colonists.  Approaching  the  Acadian  coasts  he 
conceived,  in  his  prudence,  the  design  of  landing  his  dangerous 
charge  upon  the  Isle  of  Sable,  till  he  might  go  and  prepare  for 
them,  on  the  main-land,  a  place  of  safety.  As  the  French 
barque  neared  the  island,  and  the  eyes  of  those  on  board,  though 
sharpened  by  weeks  of  sea-voyaging,  could  scarce  distinguish. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         i^j 

save  by  the  settling  fringes  of  white  surf,  the  low  grey  shores 
from  the  gray  tumult  of  surrounding  sea,  De  la  Roche  felt  that 
he  might  leave  here  his  sorry  settlers  with  a  most  reasonable 
confidence  that  they  would  await  his  return.  The  forty 
convicts,  selected  from  the  chief  prisons  of  France,  were  landed 
thro'  the  uproar  of  the  surf,  and  the  ship  made  haste  away 
from  the  perilous  shore.  But,  she  came  not  back  again ! 
De  la  Roche  reached  Acadia,  chose  a  site  for  his  settlement., 
and  set  out  for  the  island  to  fetch  his  expectant  colonists. 
But  a  great  gale  swept  him  back  to  France  and  drove  him 
upon  the  Breton  coast,  where  the  Duke  de  Mercouer,  at  that 
time  warring  against  the  King,  seized  him,  cast  him  into 
prison,  and  held  him  close  for  five  years.  Meanwhile,  those  left 
on  the  island  were  delighted  enough.  They  were  free,  and 
began  to  forget  the  scourge  and  chain.  Beside  the  unstable 
hummocks  and  hills  of  sand  they  found  a  shallow  lake  of  sweet 
waters,  the  shores  of  which  were  clothed  luxuriantly  with  long 
grass  and  lentils,  and  v^ins  of  vetch.  Here  and  there  were 
great  patches  of  naked  sand,  and  tracts  where  the  sands  had 
drifted  over  the  grass  and  smothered  it,  but  for  the  most  part 
the  valley  of  the  lake  was  like  a  rolling  meadow.  No  tree  or 
shrub  had  root  in  all  the  island,  but  the  turf  where  it  was 
richest  grew  resplendent  with  wild  lilies,  and  asters  and  dwarf 
roses.  In  some  places  the  grass  was  thrust  aside  by  the  wiry 
branches  of  the  blackberry,  and  whole  acres  were  covered  by  a 
close  mat  of  cranberry  vines.  Lurking  in  any  or  every  portion 
of  the  grass-plain  were  little  cup-like  hollows,  generally  filled 
with  clear  water.  These  were  formed  by  eddies  of  the  wind, 
which  kept  scooping  and  sucking  away  the  sand  from  every 


/j-^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History,  ' 

raw  spot,  where  the  skin-like  covering  of  turf  had  been  removed. 
The  cups  would  then  fill  gradually  from  rains  and  from  infil- 
tration. Every  such  pool,  like  the  lake,  was  alive  with  ducks 
and  other  water-fowl,  amongst  which  the  joyous  ex-convicts 
created  consternation.  There  were  wild-cattle  also,  trooping 
and  lowing  among  the  sand-hills,  or  feeding  belly-deep  in  the 
rank  water-grasses  ;  while  herds  of  wild-hogs,  introduced  years 
before  by  the  Portuguese,  disputed  the  shallow  pools  with  the 
mallard  and  teal.  The  weather  for  a  while  kept  fine,  and  the 
winds  comparatively  temperate,  and  the  sojourners  held  a 
carnival  of  liberty  and  indolence.  But  this  was  not  for  long,  and 
as  the  skies  grew  harsher  their  plight  grew  harder.  As  the 
weeks  slipped  into  months  they  grew  first  impatient,  then 
solicitous,  then  despairing.  Their  provisions  fell  low  and  at 
last  the  truth  was  staring  them  in  the  face,  they  were  deserted. 
From  the  wrecks  upon  the  shore  they  built  themselves  at 
first  a  rude  shelter,  which  the  increasing  cold  and  storms  soon 
drove  them  to  perfect  with  their  most  cunning  skill.  As  their 
stores  diminished  they  looked  on  greedily  and  glared  at  each 
other  with  jealous  eyes.  Soon  quarrels  broke  out  with  but  little 
provocation,  and  were  settled  by  the  knife  with  such  fatal 
frequency  that  the  members  of  the  colony  shrank  apace.  There 
was  no  discipline,  no  order,  no  authority.  Every  man  made 
his  own  desire  his  law,  and  did  his  best  to  enforce  it  upon  his 
neighbor.  As  they  had  been  provided  with  no  means  of 
lighting  fires,  they  soon  had  to  live  on  the  raw-flesh  of  the  wild- 
cattle,  and  little  by  little  they  learned  the  lesson  and  began  to 
relish  such  fare.  Little  by  little,  too,  as  their  garments  fell  to 
pieces,  they  replaced  them  with  skins  of  the  seals  that  swarmed 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        755 

about  the  beach :  and  their  hut  they  lined  with  hides  from  the 
cattle  they  had  slaughtered. 

The  hut  was  built  in  the  deepest  heart  of  the  island,  in  the 
firmest  group  of  sand-hills  they  could  find,  for  they  had  speedily 
learned  to  dread  the  winds  that  scourged  that  naked  land  with 
relentless  fur}.  They  built  the  walls  about  with  turf  and 
secured  them  with  the  heaviest  timbers  to  be  had.  In  the 
raving  December  nights,  when  the  bitter  cold  edged  through 
their  thickest  walls,  they  laid  aside  their  feud  and  animosity 
and  huddled  together  for  the  sake  of  warmth.  Terror,  too,, 
drew  them  closer  together,  when  the  hurricane  yelled  about  the 
sand-hills ;  when  every  one  caught  outside  the  hut  had  to 
throw  himself  on  his  face  lest  he  should  be  whirled  out  to  sea ; 
when  the  darkness  fell  suddenly  while  they  thought  it  scarce 
mid-day  ;  when  the  only  light  was  that  from  the  driven  spume  ; 
when  the  whole  island  quivered  under  the  thunderous  waters  vol- 
leyed against  it ;  and  when  t^  miles  of  beach  were  rent  away  to 
form  new  shoals  in  the  offing.  As  the  months  became  years  their 
deadly  contests  ceased,  but  exposure,  and  frost,  and  hunger, 
and  disease  kept  thinning  their  ranks.  They  occupied  them- 
selves in  persuing  the  seal  for  its  skin,  the  walrus  for  its  ivory. 
The  cattle  they  killed  only  to  supply  their  needs  ;  but  the  wild 
swine,  grown  bloodthirsty  from  having  devoured  dead  bodies, 
they  hunted  down  remorselesly  as  a  hateful  foe.  And  so  the 
time  dragged  on,  till  they  began  to  say  they  were  nearly  five  years 
in  this  prison.  They  had  gathered  a  great  store  of  sealskins, 
ivory  and  hides,  but  now  only  twelve  men  remained  to 
possess  these  riches.  Their  beards  had  grown  to  their  waist, 
their  skins  were  like  the  furs  that  covered  them,  their  nails 


/5^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History y 

were  like  birds'  claws,  their  eyes  gleamed  with  av&artoitjf  shy 
ferocity  through  the  long  matted  tangle  of  their  hair.  At  last, 
from  out  of  his  prison,  De  la  Roche  got  word  to  the  King, 
telling  him  of  their  miserable  fortune.  A  ship  was  at  once 
sent  out  to  rescue  them,  under  the  guidance  of  the  pilot 
Chetodel  who  had  sailed  on  the  former  voyage  with  De  la 
Roche.  They  saw  the  ship  at  anchor  outside  the  shoals  and 
came  down  upon  the  beach,  waving  their  arms.  As  they  saw 
the  ship  urging  to  land  thro'  the  breakers,  they  shouted  and 
ran  about  like  madmen,  or  ''ast  themselves  down  grovelling  in 
the  sand,  till  their  rescuers  imagined  them  half-savage,  half 
wild  beast.  Taken  back  to  France  with  their  furs  and  ivory, 
they  were  brought  before  Henry  as  Ihey  had  been  found,  in  their 
shaggy  hair,  and  beards,  and  tl  ^  t  coats  of  skins.  The  story  of 
their  grievous  hardships  moved  the  King,  and  he  gave  them 
money,  with  a  full  pardon ;  Avhereupon  two  or  three  of  them 
went  back  to  their  island  of  horrors  to  collect  more  furs,  and 
for  the  rest  of  their  lives  devoted  themselves  to  that  trade. 
The  site  of  their  hut,  and  of  the  sand-plot  which  they  made  an 
effort  to  till,  has  years  ago  been  engulfed  by  the  tides,  and 
probably  forms  an  outlying  part  of  what  is  now  called  the 
Northwest  bar.  But  the  name,  "  French  Gardens,"  keeps  the 
story  of  their  suffeiings  in  remembrance;  and  the  spot  that 
bears  the  name  is,  by  courtesy,  the  spot  that;  gave  them  refuge. 

THE   ORDER   OF   THE   GOOD   TIMES. 

^  '        As  an  offset  to  such  ?   story  of  desolation,  let  me  turn 

for  a  moment  to  the  famous  "  Order  of  a  Good  Time."     This 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         i^j 

institution,  organized  by  Chainplain  at  Port  Royal,  during  the 
winter  1606-1607,  has  been  well  celebrated  by  the  merry  Max 
Lescarbot,  a  moving  spirit  in   the  Order.     And   it  has  been 
overlooked,  I  think,  by  no   historian   since.     The    temple   of 
the   Order   was    Poutrincourt's  dark-ceilinged    dining-hall,  his 
ample  dining-table  the  shrine  of  its  most   sacred    mysteries. 
The  initiated  members  were  fifteen,  and  for  guests,  when  they 
craved    the    spice    of    life,    they    had     the     great     Micmac 
chieftain,  with  such  of  his  warriors  and  wives  as  showed  them- 
selves most  amenable  to  civilization.     The  office  of  honor  and 
responsibility  in  the  Order  was  the  ancient  office  of  steward, 
which  fell  to  each  member  in  turn,  and  wa'-  tenable  fortunately, 
only  a  day  at  a  time.    Upon  the  shoulders  of  the  steward  there 
fell,  with  the  decorated  collar  of  his  dignity,  the  burden  of 
assuaging  the  appetites  of  this  hungry  and  hilarious  brother- 
hood.    He  had  at  his  disposal  no  lack  of  stored  provisions, 
bread,  dried  fruits,  etc.,  brought  from  France  by  the  previous 
summer's    ship ;    but    he    would    cover  his   office   with    dis- 
grace if  he  failed  to  add  some  new  delicacy  to  each  new  bill  of 
fare.   At  first  the  task  was  not  difficult,  but  as  the  various  kinds 
of  fish  became  familiar  to  the  palates  of  the  order,  as  another  and 
yet  another  species  of  game  was   accepted  and   registered  as 
satisfactory,  the  honorable  steward  was  soon  driven  to  tax  his 
best  wits.     But  there  was  never  a   failure,  if   we   may   trust 
Lescarbot's  chronicle.     Only,  alas,  toward  spring,  the  wine  ran 
low,  and  instead  of  three  quarts  to  each  member,  the  daily 
allowance  was  diminished  to  one  poor  pint.    Canada's  national 
beverage  was  not  yet  brewed,  or  they  might  have  turned  their 
rye   to  delightiul  account !  When  dinner  was  announced,  the 


1^8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

steward  in  his  decorations  led  the  way,  bearing  the  staff  and 
napkin  of  his  ofifice,  and  all  followed  in  set  order  and  solemn 
dignity,  till  the  laden  table  was  revealed  in  the  glow  of  the 
heaped-up  hearth,  and  the  low-ceiling,  with  its  shifting  shadows, 
seemed  to  draw  closer  down  about  the  cosy  revel.  The  feast 
done,  and  grace  said  in  grateful  Latin,  the  stewa/d  rose  and 
pledged  his  successor  in  a  final  magnanimous  cup,  and  then 
resigned  to  him  his  badges  and  his  burden.  Theefl^ect  of  such 
an  institution  was  to  keep  hearts  and  hands  cheerful,  and  to 
speed  the  winter  finely  ;  and  though  some  of  the  colonists  died 
before  spring,  Lescarbot  sets  this  down  to  the  fact  that  these  were 
of  a  sluggish  and  fretful  disposition  and  not  susceptible  to  the 
curative  powers  of  mirth.  There  is  another  and  not  unplausible 
explanation  however,  which  Lescarbot  strangely  overlooks. 
Sometime  during  January  the  whole  Order  went  on  a  six  miles 
trip,  to  see  if  the  corn  they  had  sown  in  November  was 
growing  under  the  snow  ;  and  there,  in  the  snow  and  mocking 
sunshine,  they  held  a  picnic-banquet  very  gayly.  This  was  a 
new  and  charming  experience  ;  but  the  four  deaths  occurred 
not  many  weeks  later !  Poor  sluggish,  fretful  souls  ! 

THE   WIFE   OF  CHARLES    [,A   TOUR. 

It  is  about  this  woman  that  chiefly  clings  the  romance  of 
Acadian  history.  Her,  is  the  name  that  stands  in  Acadian  an- 
nals for  heroism,  fidelity,  wifely  demotion,  ill-fate.  Hef*^  is  a 
figure  among  illustrious  women  than  which  there  is  none  bathed 
in  a  clearer  and  more  stainless  fame.  Hef*s  is  the  memory  served 
with  most  chivalrous  worship  from  the  lips  of  us  later  Acadians. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         75^ 

On  level  land,  well  out  of  reach  of  high  tides,  on  the  inmost 
corner  of  that  safe  haven  which  lies  at  the  mouth  of  the  St. 
John,  was  built  the  fortressed  home  of  Charles  la  Tour.  It 
stood  upon  the  harbor's  western  shore,  over  against  a  small 
island  which  ceases  to  be  an  island  at  low  water,  when  the  west 
channel,  now  called  "  Buttermilk  Channel,"  for  occult  reasons 
has  a  trick  of  going  dry.  It  was  a  strong  fort  of  four  bastions, 
heavily  palisaded,  and  was  the  outlet  for  all  the  rich  trade  of 
the  St.  John;^  River  valley  and  eastern  Maine.  Within  the 
fort  were  happiness  and  plenty,  whether  the  master  of  the  fort 
remained  at  home  to  rule  as  a  kindly  despot  among  his  follow- 
ers, or  whether,  during  his  long  journeys  into  the  wilderness, 
he  left  his  wife  to  divide  her  time  between  her  children  and  the 
government  of  the  colony.  The  wife  upon  whose  hands,  with 
such  confidence,  he  laid  responsibilities  so  heavy,  was  a  nobly- 
born  and  daintily-nurtured  woman,  who  had  left  for  him  the 
luxury  of  a  home  in  rich  Rochelle.  Love  for  their  mistress, 
however,  made  the  colonists  easy  to  rule  ;  and  their  time  went 
by  not  idly,  but  with  peace.  There  was  trading  with  the  Indians 
continually ;  there  was  the  hunting  and  trapping ;  there  were 
the  long  rows  of  stake-nets  to  be  emptied  of  their  salmon,  and 
shad,  and  gaspereaux  when  the  stony-flats  east  of  the  fort 
were  daily  uncovered  by  ebb-tide.  So  the  days  were  filled  up 
pleasantly  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Johns.  But  across  the  fog 
and  turbulence  of  the  bay,  in  fair  Port  Royal,  was  creeping  up 
a  storm  to  mar  this  brightness.  There  sat  the  Sieur  Charnisay, 
dividing  with  La  Tour  the  Acadian  territority  and  trade,  and 
watching   with   vindictive    envy   the   prosperity   of  his  rival. 


i6o  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Already  his  enmity   and  diligent  intrigues  at  Versailles  were 
beginning  to  show  their  effects. 

It  was  in  the  early  spring  of   1643,  a  dense,  raw  fog  clung 
over  the  harbor  and  the  heights.     The  tide  was  out ;  the  flats 
stretched  seaward  their  long  lines  of  clean  grey  rock  and  their 
beds  of  olive  kelp  ;  the  current  of  the  great  river  swirled  past 
sullenly  with  its  sheets  of  whirling  foam  from  the  falls ;  the 
men,  whose  purple  hands,  numbed  with  the  salt,  were  empty- 
ing the  ranges  of  nets,  loomed  vague  and  distorted  through  the 
mist,  and  the  voices  of  their  comrades,  whom  the  darkness  hid, 
seemed  wizard-like  uttered  from  the  waters.    Suddenly  the  fog 
thinned,  lifted,  faded  away  into  the  blue  of  a  sunlit  morning f^ 
its  last  shreds  streaming  off  reluctantly  through  the  firs  and 
cedars  on  the  cliffs.     The  fish-gatherers,  startled  by  an  alarm- 
gun  from  the  fort,  looked  up  to  find  three  vessels  sailing  in  under 
what  is  now  called  Partridge  Island.    Following  in  the  shadow 
of  the  same  steep,  dark-wooded  shore,  came  several  small  crafts, 
pinnaces  and  cat-rigged  launches.    There  was  but  little  time 
left  for  taking  counsel.     All  the  colony  was  soon  within  walls, 
and  the  gunners  stood  to  their  pieces.     Not  bringing  his  ships 
within  range  of  the  fort's  heavy  metal,   Charnisay  choose  a 
piece  of  smooth,  red  beach  to  the  southward,  where  the  waves 
lapped  softly,  and  some  cakes  of  ice  still  lingered  in  the  shal- 
lows.    Here  he  led  ashore  his  five  hundred  men  to  the  assault. 
By  the  half-dry  channel  to  the  left,  by  the  dripping  flats  in 
front,  by  the  naked  uplands  to  the  right,  with  shouts  and  vol- 
leys of  musketry,  the  invaders  stormed  in.     But  La  Tour  was 
at  home  and  not   caught   sleeping.     For  an  hour  the  assault 
raged  furiously  on  rampart  and  palisade  and  bastion,  but  the 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         i6i 

short  carronades,  with  lowered  muzzles,  swept  the  ditches  clear, 
and  the  besieged  with  musket  stock  and  hand-spike  beat  down 
every  foe  that  scaled  the  walls.  Charnisay  at  last  broke  into 
an  impotent  rage,  and  ordered  off  his  men  to  the  ships ;  while 
the  derisive  garrison  expediated  their  going  with  the  acrid  spur 
of  bullets  in  their  rear.  Charnisay  then  drew  a  strict  blockade 
about  the  fort  and  harbor,  and  waited  for  hunger  to  achieve 
what  his  arms  could  not. 

But  La  Tour,  like  the  Ithacan  chieftain,  was  no  less  subtle 
than  brave,  and  to  hold  him  imprisoned  was  a  feat  Charnisay 
had  not  yet  learned  to  perform.  The  Rochelle  ship,  long 
expected  with  supplies  and  reinforcements,  at  length  appeared 
off  the  coast.  Instructed  bj-  timely  signals  from  the  fort,  she 
kept  well  out  in  the  offing ;  and  toward  the  close  of  a  murky 
night  a  small  boat  slipped  under  her  stern,  and  Charles  La  Tour 
and  his  wife  were  received  on  board.  In  shadow  of  the  shores 
of  the  harbor  and  Partridge  Island  heights,  favored  by  the  first 
of  the  ebb  and  a  gentle  wind  off  shore,  with  muffled  oars  they 
had  crept  through  the  blockade,  and  were  off  for  help  to  Boston 
ere  the  dawn.  The  help  was  got,  and  all  haste  made  back  to 
the  rescue.  As  Charnisay  rested  on  his  decks,  dreaming  that 
his  foe  was  pinched  with  famine,  his  triumph  now  surely  close 
at  hand,  as  a  most  unpleasant  revalation  came  La  Tour  with 
five  ships  and  bore  down  upon  him  ready  for  battle.  But  he 
had  small  stomach  for  the  encounter,  and  standing  not  upon 
the  order  of  his  going,  the  whole  force  took  flight  for  refuge  in 
Port  Royal.  As  he  reached  Port  Royal,  La  Tour  was  on  his 
heels  chastising  him  upon  his  own  threshold.  The  quarrel 
might  well  have  been  ended  then  and  there,  to  the  sparing  of 


i62  New  Papers  on  Camidian  History, 

much  misery  in  the  future,  but  the  scruples  of  his  Puritan 
allies,  who  were  fairly  well  content  with  the  booty  already 
fallen  to  their  hands — a  cargo  of  rich  furs  belonging  to 
Charnisay — here  stepped  in  and  proclaimed  the  virtues  of 
mideration. 

These  half-measures,  as  La  Tour  well  knew,  could  profit 
his  cause  but  little.  Charnisay  was  not  enfeebled  by  this 
repulse  ;  fortified,  rather,  in  his  purpose,  strengthened  with  a 
more  inexorable  will  of  revenge.  In  silence  both  antagonists 
braced  to  renew  the  struggle.  La  Tour  set  himself  to  repair 
his  defences,  while  his  wife  undertook  a  voyage  to  France  to 
gather  men  and  supplies  and  to  strengthen  the  hearts  of  her 
husband's  friends  in  his  cause.  To  France  also  had  gone  her 
enemy  before  her,  to  plot  and  scheme  at  court,  to  borrow  money, 
and  to  heap  up  false  accusations  against  La  Tour.  After  the 
manner  of  a  mean  nature  toward  whatever  most  shames  it  by 
contrast,  Charnisay  appeared  to  hate  the  wife  even  more 
bitterly  than  the  husband,  and  no  sooner  learned  of  her  coming 
than  he  brought  a  charge  of  treason  against  her,  and  obtained 
the  King's  order  for  her  arrest.  But  the  lady  had  been 
watching  his  every  move,  and  now,  as  more  than  once  there- 
after, over-matched  him.  She  made  a  seasonable  departure 
for  England,  and  from  London  organized  her  husband's  relief. 
By  the  spring  of  1644,  she  had  a  vessel  chartered  and  set  sail ; 
but  the  captain  consumed  the  whole  summer  in  trading  by  the 
way.  It  was  September  when  she  reached  Acadian  waters, 
where  Charnisay  was  on  the  watch  for  her,  and  straightway 
boarded  the  ship.  She  and  all  her  party  were  hidden  in  the 
hold  and  the  ship  was  represented  as  a  trading-vessel  bound  for 


Aftt  Science y  Literature,  and  Commerce.        i6j 

Boston  blown  far  out  of  her  course  by  adverse  winds.  Beguiled 
by  this  possible  story  Charnisay  retired  ;  the  vessel's  course 
was  mended  for  Boston,  and  the  brave  wife  landed  on  Bostt)n 
wharves  just  too  late  to  see  her  husband  sail  away.  He,  filled 
with  fear  at  her  strange  delay,  had  once  more  come  to  Boston 
for  assistance  ;  but  this  time  on  a  futile  errand,  for  the  Puritans 
would  hazard  in  his  cause  naught  more  costly  than  their 
sympathy  and  good  wishes,  and  he  had  gone  away  at  last  with 
plenty  of  smiles  upon  his  lips  but  with  something  near  despair 
at  his  heart.  But  his  wife,  her  hands  now  free,  lost  no  more 
time.  Bringing  action  for  the  unwarrantable  delays  she  was 
adjudged  two  thousand  pounds  damages,  in  satisfaction  of 
which  she  immediately  seized  the  ship's  cargo.  Meanwhile 
arrived  in  the  city  an  ambassador  from  Port  Royal,  seeking 
peace  between  Charnisay  and  New  England.  Hearing  of  the 
lady's  presence  the  envoy  made  great  haste  with  his  business, 
and  having  persuaded  the  non-committal  Puritans  into  some- 
thing like  a  treaty  he  departed  from  the  city  the  same  night. 
His  hope  was  to  give  warning  at  Port  Royal  in  time  to  capture 
this  dangerous  adversary  before  she  could  get  behind  the  walls. 
But  the  servant  succeeded  no  better  than  his  master  had  done 
before  him.  As  he  came  before  Charnisay  with  his  tidings, 
the  bravt  wife  was  in  the  arms  of  her  husband  from  whom  she 
had  been  parted  during  thirteen  months  of  fear.  This  was  in 
October;  and  Charnisay  now  for  a  time  sat  quiet  with  his 
wrath,  which  required  little  nursing  to  keep  warm.  Not  till 
the  following  February  did  he  judge  his  vengeance  ripened  to 
the  plucking.  His  needs  had  driven  La  Tour  again  to  Boston. 
On  the  news  of  his  going  came  the  grim  craft  of  his  enemy, 


164  Neiv  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

appearing  swiftly  in  silence  like  a  shark,  and  took  station  under 
the  lee  of  Partridge  Island.  The  winter  days  jscowtd  by-oiv 
tedious'^ect,  under  leaden  skies  for  the  most  part,  and  through 
rainy  winds  and  sleet.  But  on  sharp  blue  mornings  the 
watchers  on  the  ramparts  could  see  flitting  whitely  across  the 
furthest  tides,  the  cruisers  of  Charnisay  waiting  to  intercept 
the  longed-for  relief.  Within  the  fort,  in  spite  of  the  wearying 
suspense,  the  garrison  maintained  good  heart,  scorning  to  be 
any  less  heroic  than  the  dauntless  woman  at  their  head.  As 
venison,  fish  and  flour  got  low,  the  monotonous  strain  on  their 
spirits  grew  more  intense,  till  even  attack  would  have  been  hailed 
as  a  fortunate  change.  Then  came  the  excitement  of  finding 
traitors  in  their  midst,  and  two  friars,  spies  in  conspiracy  with 
Charnisay,  were  uncloaked  with  fierce  curses  and  contempt. 
The  garrison  was  for  hanging  them  forthwith  from  the  battle- 
ments, but  their  leader's  too  compassionate  heart  forbade  it. 
She  contented  herself  with  driving  them  from  the  foct,  from 
whose  gates  they  slunk,  white  with  terror  and  tremulous  with 
malice,  like  lashed  hounds  to  their  master.  Their  words  were 
exquisite  to  the  ears  of  Charnisay.  They  told  him  of  a  feeble 
and  dispirited  garrison  ;  of  little  powder,  and  that  hurt  by  the 
wet ;  and  of  his  long-craved  triumph  now  within  the  very 
grasp  of  his  fingers.  The  gray  spectre  of  a  ship  that  had  so 
long  lurked  in  the  shadow  of  the  dark  island,  was  now  .seen  to 
glide  from  her  moorings.  She  drew  silently  up  the  harbor,  lay 
to  under  the  walls,  then  burst  out  against  the  fort  with  the 
roar  of  all  her  guns.  But  the  sullen  walls,  so  long  seemingly 
dead,  from  which  he  had  expected  scarce  a  retort,  awoke 
straifjltway  to  most   retaliatory  life.     Every   bastion   blazed. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        165 

and  Charnisay's  spars  flew  in  splinters  under  tlie  storm.  The 
garrison  went  wild  with  the  delight  of  battle,  as  their  beautiful 
leader — for  she  was  beautiful — encouraged  them,  and  moved  ' 
where  peril  was  the  thickest.  She  went  from  bastion  to 
bastion,  and  would  take  no  shelter  that  covered  not  her 
followers  as  well ;  her  clear  eyes  seemed  everywhere  at  once, 
marking  with  grateful  approval  the  brave  loyalty  of  the  least 
of  her  men.  As  her  form  from  time  to  time  appeared  to  those 
on  shipboard,  through  the  dividing  drifts  of  smoke,  the  lips  of 
Charni.say  set  themselves  with  yet  more  implacable  hatred. 
The  clear  stretches  of  snow  at  the  rear  of  the  fort,  the  dazzling 
capes  upon  shoulders  of  fir-t^vj  and  cedar  on  the  uplands, 
turned  swarthv-brown  as  the  smoke-waves  volumed  over  them  ; 
and  the  tide-eaten  ice-fringe  was  blackened  along  the  shore 
under  the  battle.  Soon  the  concentrated  fire  from  the  ramparts 
began  to  tell  heavily  upon  the  vessel's  hull,  her  rigging  being 
already  a  mass  of  wreck.  When  a  score  of  men  lay  dead  upon 
her  decks  and  everywhere  lay  the  wounded,  Charnisay  would 
still  acknowledge  no  repulse.  But  when  it  was  found  that  the 
hold  was  filling  rapidly,  with  deep  curses  he  turned  for  flight 
while  flight  was  possible.  But  it  was  barely  possible.  Igno- 
miniously  beaten  by  a  woman,  whom  he  had  attacked  when  he 
thought  her  nearly  helpless,  he  got  out  his  small  boats  and 
hawsers  and  painfully  towed  his  sinking  hull  out  of  range. 
He  ran  her  ashore  for  repairs  upon  a  strip  of  sandy  beach  ;  and 
as  soon  as  she  could  be  kept  afloat  and  steered  he  put  back  to 
Port  Royal,  balked  once  more.  But  he  had  the  whole  of 
France  open  behind  him,  while  the  adversary  under  whose 
chastisement  he  now  writhed  was  so  utterly  shut  off  from  all 


i66  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History^ 

resources  that  the  very  nights  and  days  fought  against  her. 
Her  victory  even  seemed  to  presage  defeat.  Her  enemy,  when 
he  again  attacked,  would  more  justly  have  measured  her 
strength.  Her  husband  could  neither  break  nor  elude  the  fast 
blockade  which  Charnisay's  deadly  vigilarice  maintained.  And 
through  the  lull  that  followed  their  success  it  seemed  to  the 
waiting  handful  in  the  fort  that  the  end  of  their  grim  play  drew 
swiftly  near.  , 

With  the  first  of  April  weather,  the  climax  came.  One 
still  night,  when  the  sentry  could  hear  the  far-off  rush  of  the 
falls,  could  hear  the  weird  honking  of  the  wild-gtese,  streaming 
northward  unseen  through  the  starless  night,  'lis  ears  grew 
suddenly  alert  as  he  caught  also  a  distant  rattle  of  cables,  voices 
of  sailors,  and  the  splash  of  lowering  boats.  The  fort  was  astir 
at  once  ;  lights  glimmered  here  and  there  and  were  afterward 
extinguished  and  all  made  ready  for  the  struggle  that  was  expect- 
ed with  the  dawn.  With  the  dawn  it  came.  The  foe  had  disem- 
barked in  the  night,  and  now  made  the  attack  upon  the  landward 
and  weaker  side.  Fiercely  the  stormers  advanced  to  be  doggedly 
and  defiantly  hurled  back  ;  but  with  the  defenders  it  was  an 
energy  that  hoped  for  nothing.  They,  as  well  as  their  leader, 
knew  that  now  finally  had  fate  declared  against  them.  F"rom 
Thursday  until  Saturday  the  unflinching  woman  fronted  every 
charge,  and  against  her  indomnitable  courage  the  enemy  broke 
and  fled  away  shattered.  Charnisay  paused  for  a  breathing  spell 
and  the  garrison  rested  heavily.  At  length  a  stranger  in  the 
fort,  an  alien  coward,  turned  traitor  and,  with  the  enemy's  gold 
warming  his  pockets,  admitted  them  when  it  came  his  turn  on 
guard.     Rven  then,  though  to  the  garrison  all  was  lost,  Char- 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commer:  \        i6y 

nisay  was  not  yet  victorious.  Within  walls  he  was  met  so 
desperately  that  a  mean  fear  seized  him  lest  again  he  should 
suffer  the  shame  of  defeat.  He  felt  the  pre-eminence  of  the 
woman  who  faced  him,  and  inwardly  quailed  before  her.  He 
called  out  for  a  truce,  and  offered  honorable  terms.  Seeing 
that  the  day  was  surely  his,  however  this  agonized  resistance 
might  be  dragged  on,  and  longing  with  her  whole  heart  for  the 
safety  of  her  people,  she  set  her  name  to  the  articles  of 
surrender.  Then  came  the  supreme  hour  of  the  dastard  victor's 
baseness.  Even  at  this  day  as  one  tells  it  a  fierce  heat  pricks 
in  one's  veins.  When  his  end  was  gained,  the  stronghold  in 
his  power,  his  great  rival  crush'^d  under  his  heel,  then  Charnisay 
mocked  the  woman  he  had  so  hardly  vanquished,  and  tore  up 
the  capitulation  before  her  face.  The  heroic  garri.son  he  took 
man  by  man,  and  hanged  them  in  the  open  yard  of  the  fort, 
while  their  mistress,  sinking  with  horror,  was  held  to  watch 
them  with  a  halter  about  her  neck.  The  hideous  deed  finished 
Charnisay  took  his  captive  to  Port  Royal,  where  he  presented 
her  to  his  wife  with  mock  reverence,  as  his  deadly  foe  taken  in 
by  him  to  be  cherished.  But  his  taunts  or  hu  malignance  to 
her  were  nothing ;  she  had  no  heart  left  for  any  further  pang. 
Within  three  weeks  from  the  ruin  of  her  husband,  the  des- 
truction of  her  home,  the  butchery  of  the  loved  and  loyal 
followers,  the  wife  of  Charles  La  Tour  died,  with  bitterest  foes 
and  stranger;?  watching  her. 

AN    AC.\1)IAN    "  BUCHK    I)E    NOKL." 

At  this  season  it  is  appropriate  that  I  should  close  with 
some  faint  echoes  from  an  old  Acadian  Christmas. 


i68  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

It   is  December  25th,  1610  Anno   Domini,  and  the  tiny 
colony  at  Port  Royal  is  five  years  old.     The  sun  has  risen  just 
clear  of  a  range  of  encircling  hills,  white  with  new  snow.     The 
whiteness  is  cut  sharply  here  and  there  by  sturdy  fir-trees  that 
have  shaken  the  snow  from  their  overladen  boughs  and  now 
tower  erect  in  the  sparkling  air,  while  their  feebler  fellows  bend 
to  earth  under  the  weight  of  their  snowy  capes.     Were  we    . 
nearer  we  should  find  these  unimprisoned  trees  girt  about  with 
a  tangle  of  rabbit  tracks  and  the  dainty  foot-prints  of  squirrels* 
the   snow   beneath   the    branches    spotted    with   half-gnawed 
fragments  of  fir-cones.     The  level  sunshine  streams  down  the 
valley  to  the  little  palisaded  fort  at  whose  gate  we  are  standing ; 
it  dazzles  over  miles  of  white  plain,  then  out  upon  the  bosom 
of  the  land-locked  harbor  of  Port  Royal.     In  the  distance  and 
out  of  our  kin,  beats  the  tide-chafed  mother  of  fogs,  the  Bay 
of    Fundy.     The   blue   and   golden   surface  of   the  harbor  is 
flecked  with  ice   cakes   from  the   Port   Royal  river,  which  is 
soughing  in  its  channel  close  beside  us.    The  tide  is  out,  and  the 
stream's  bed  is  choked  with  ice-cakes,  huddled  thick  together ; 
but  along  high  water-mark  the  ice  is  laid  in  order,  like  mighty 
armor-plates  of  cryst-l,  soiled  at  the  edges  and  weather-eaten. 
The  sobbing  in  mid-channel,  the  low   noises  of  grinding  and 
crumbling,  and  the  signs  of  the  incoming  tide,  lifting  the  ice. 
At  the  head  of  yonder  little  island  the  floes  have  shouldered  one 
over  another  above  tide-level,  and  with  their  clear  facets  have 
built   up    a   mighty   cluster  of   prisms.     The  snow   that   has 
wrapped   up  everything,   climbing  the   palisades  of  the  fort, 
hiding  the  ditch,  curving  over  the  low  eaves  of  our  poor  half- 
dozen  cabins,  is  trodden  well  down  before  the  door  of  the  forge 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         i6g 

and  strewn  with  great  fragrant  yellow  chips.  The  forge  fire  is 
out  to-day,  black  as  the  store  of  charcoal  heaped  behind  the 
anvil,  and  firewood  in  liberal  lengths  is  piled  up  higher  than 
the  eaves.  As  we  mark  each  detail  in  this  e***  live  spot  in  the 
expanse  of  gleaming  desolation,  and  note  how  the  smoke  from 
fort  and  cabin  curls  dusky  orange  against  the  hard  blue  sky,  a 
restless-looking,  dark-faced  man,  in  deerskin  tunic  and  creased 
voluminous  boots  comes  out  of  the  fort  and  plies  the  axe  with 
vigor  upon  a  huge  trunk  of  dry  pine.  At  the  sound  of  the 
axe-strokes  an  Indian  cur  appears  stealthily,  and  sits  down  in 
front  of  the  chopper  to  observe  his  work.  As  the  chips  fly 
thick  and  fast  the  dog  moves  to  a  safer  distance.  Then  a  cabin 
door  opens,  and  the  inviting  roar  of  a  fire  streams  out  into  the 
frost.  The  chopper  hesitates,  leaves  the  log  unsevered,  enters 
and  shuts  the  door  behind  him  ;  while,  stealthily  as  it  came, 
glides  away  the  Indian  cur. 

This  is  the  quiet  of  Christmas  morning  at  Port  Royal,  twrr 
4Hm4fe4-and  seventy-six  years  ago.  No  clamoring  of  bells,  no 
laughing  shrill  voices,  no  idly  hurried  crowds  as  in  their  own 
dear  Picardie  and  Normandie.  Jean  de  Biencourt,  Baron  Pou- 
trincourt,  has  with  him  twenty-three  persons  in  this  little  lonely 
colony.  No  need  of  work  or  haste  this  Christmas  morning  ; 
and  their  work  is,  for  this  day  at  least,  done.  They  have  drawn 
ill  the  yule  log,  with  abundance  of  cut  firewood  ;  and  though 
they  have  by  no  means  too  much  venison  in  store,  they  have 
worn  themselves  out  in  the  hunt  and  need  not  take  it  up  again 
till  the  morrow.  So  they  idle  about,  and 

"  Dream  of  fatherland, 


Of  chikl  and  wife,"- 


lyo  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

till  it  shall  be  time  to  feather  in  the  chief  room  of  the  fort  ancf 
eat  their  poor  Christmas  dinner.  They  are  depending  almost 
wholly  now  upon  such  fish  as  they  can  catch  through  the  ice^ 
and  on  the  game  they  capture  for  themselves  or  buy  from  the 
friendly  Micmacs  near  at  hand.  Their  grain,  corn,  barley  and 
a  little  wheat  is  all  but  gone  ;  the  longed-for  vessel  from  P^rance 
still  delays;  and  it  is  doutful  if  tiiey  can  succeed  in  staving  off 
absolute  famine.  But  for  this  one  day  at  least,  they  will  not 
stint  themselves,  though  moose-meat  and  fish  become  sorely 
monotonous  to  their  palates. 

The  night  before  they  had  lighted  the  yule  log  with  brave 
cheerfulness  and  good  fellowship,  had  welcomed  the  feast  with 
firing  of  guns,  and  had  initiated  the  convert  Membertoy<  with 
his  bravesyinto  the  blessed  mysteries  of  the  season.  Father 
Fleshe  had  summoned  them  in  toward  midnight,  and  mass  had 
been  celebrated  with  single-hearted  fervor  indeed  ;  but  ah  !  with 
what  a  difference  from  the  services  even  then,  as  they  knew, 
being  offered  up  in  lighted  aisles  and  chancels  far  away.  They 
had  thought  of  the  sea  of  upturned  faces,  rapt  and  moveless, 
as  the  shepherd-priests  came  forward  reverently  and  the  curtain 
was  drawn  back  to  show  the  Virgin  and  the  Child.  Again  in 
their  ears  rang  the  soaring  flawless  treble  of  the  hidden  boy,, 
singing  as  an  angel,  the  Gloria  in  lixcclsis.  Again,  as  they 
chanted  with  closed  eyes,  they  heard  the  full  responses,  the 
clanging  of  swung  censors;  they  saw  the  ranks  of  surpliced 
priests  and  singers  bow  together ;  and  the  aromatic  breath  of 
incense  stole  into  their  nostrils.  But  it  was  only  a  handful  of 
exiled  and  weary  men,  singing  at  midnight  in  a  rude  half- 
lighted  room  ;  outside  their  walls  the  limitless  Acadian  wilder- 


Ari,  Science,  Litej'ature,  and  Commerce.         iji 

ness,  and  a  thousand  miles  of  wild  seas  between  themselves 
and  home.  Then,  for  some,  as  the}-  turned  to  their  blankets, 
what  aching  of  heart  to  see  no  little  shoes  set  out  in  prime 
order  before  the  fire-place,  expectant  of  toys  and  sweetmeats 
from  Ji'sus  Bntnbin  !  And  for  all  of  them,  the  coming  festival 
could  be  but  a  season  of  longing  and  of  looking  back.  This 
was  their  Christmas  eve  !  v 

To-day,  as  the  hours  wear  on,  the  stories  they  have  been 
telling  come  to  an  end  ;  the  pine-trunk  by  the  forge-door  has 
been  more  than  once  attacked  spasmodically,  till  it  bears  no 
remote^  resemblance  to  its  former  self;  antl  the  savors  of 
venison  and  fish,  and  of  hot  cakes  of  broken  wheat,  attract 
attention.  The  fire  in  the  chief  room  blazes  higher  and  higher. 
Snow-shoes  hang  on  the  walls,  or  stand  in  the  corners  in  a 
confusion  of  muskets,  and  hand-nets  and  long  ashen  paddles. 
Over  the  windows  are  moose-hides  tanned  with  the  hair  on, 
heavy  black  bear-skins,  and  furs  of  lynx  and  loup-ccrvicr,  out  of 
which,  as  a  faint  gust  stirs  them,  gleam  polished  claws  and 
white  snarling  teeth.  The  warriors  invited  to  the  feast  squat 
at  one  side  on  their  deer-skins,  and  the  sober  revel  begins. 
The  courses  are  few  and  little  varied,  but  the  dinner  is  by  no 
means  one  of  herbs.  Yet  is  it  a  feast  where  love  is,  and  the 
red  guests  pledge  to  their  entertainers  unending  fealty  ;  a 
pledge  destined  never  to  be  broken.  Then  follow^  stories,  and 
encounters  of  wit,  and  remembrances,  and  toasts  ;  speeches 
are  n»ade,  prophetic  of  a  new  and  mighty  nation  to  spring  from 
the  heroic  effort  of  their  own  small  band  ;  and  A  la  Claire 
Fontaine  is  sung,  with  other  loved  old  songs.  As  night  falls,  a 
wind  roars  in  from  the  sea,  full  of  drift  and  of  the  sounds  of 


iy2  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

crashing  ice,  and  lashes  wildly  roof  and  palisade.  Some 
paddles  and  snow-shoes  fall  to  the  floor  with  loud  clatter. 
Then  the  fire  on  the  wide  hearth  blazes  up  redder  than  ever, 
hissing  and  sparkling  fitfully  ;  the  company  draw  closer  to  the 
bla;  c,  shutting  off  the  light  from  the  further  draughty  corners  ; 
dark  faces  glow  and  moist  eyes  gleam  as  they  watch  the  flame 
intently,  fallen  into  silence;  and  our  picture  fades  out  into  the 
dimness  of  three  centuries  ago. 

In  conclusion,  a  brief  glance  at  the  modern  Acadian 
Christmas!  In  Madawaska  County,  New  Brunswick,  leagues 
inland  from  the  beatin^j  of  sea-winds,  s^  fertile  banks  of 
the  St.  John  and  Green  River,  the  Madawaska,  Quisibi0,  and 
oth-;r  lovely  streams,  thvj  Acadian  now  builds  snugly  his  wide- 
eaved  cottage,  setting  an  orchard  about  it,  amid  fields  of  flax 
and  buckwheat,  and  painting  his  broad  barn-doors  and  the 
vane  of  his  inevitable  windmill  of  the  crudest  ochreish  red.  At 
Christmas  the  snow  has  fallen  all  around  him  to  the  depth  of 
five  or  six  feet,  his  fences  and  boundaries  are  obliterated,  his 
roofs  scarce  rise  above  the  encompassing  levels.  Indoors  the 
fire  lights  up  his  shelves  of  blue  and  white  crockery.  There  is 
no  chilly  plaster  to  be  seen.  The  ceiling  is  of  wood  darkened 
with  years  and  smoke.  The  one  partition,  dividing  his  abode 
into  living-room  and  sleeping-room,  is  of  wood,  polished  by  the 
rubbing  of  hands  and  shoulders.  The  massive  square  bed  ; 
the  square  cradle  that  rocks  with  dreadful  thud,  loud  enough 
to  keep  a  baby  wakeful  a  whole  life-time ;  the  square  table ; 
the  spinning-wheel  that  could  not  well  be  square — all  are  of 
the  same  broWiS,  solid,  shining  wood.  On  Christmas  eve  there 
are  the  guns  and  shooting,  the  drive  in  the  pung,  half  filled 


Ar^,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         lyj 

with  quilts  and  straw,  to  meet  at  the  little  chapel  miles  away  ; 
and  on  Christmas  day  the  fiddle  reigns  supreme.  Neighbors 
flock  in,  and  moccassined  feet  dance  indefatigably,  morn  and 
noon  and  night.  Huge  slices  of  sweet  bread,  such  has  been 
made  for  this  feast  out  of  plain  dough  kneaded  up  with 
molasses  and  spotted  with  dried  blue-berries,  and  washed  down 
with  a  wholesome  beer  made  from  spruce  boughs  and  juniper 
berries.  Sometimes  the  "  national  beverage"  plays  a  modest 
part.  Not  seldom,  as  it  grows  late,  the  dancing  palls,  and  the 
singing.  Then,  as  of  old,  all  gather  round  the  fire  ,  and  if,  as 
often  happens,  a  modern  cooking-stove  has  supplanted  the 
open  hearth,  they  provide  themselves  with  large  raw  potatoes, 
from  which,  with  their  clasp-knives,  they  shave  thin  slices 
artistically.  The  next  point  is  important ;  they  spit  on  these 
slices,  and  then  fry  them  to  a  turn  on  the  hot  black  covers ; 
and  the  sizzling  and  aroma  fill  the  air.  If  the  hearth  still 
holds  sway,  each  arms  himself  with  a  slim  green  sapling, 
whereon  he  toasts  red  herrings  for  the  damsel  of  his  heart, 
who  sits  beside  him.  The  children  of  the  house,  meanwhile, 
from  under  parti-colored  coverlets,  stare  through  the  open 
doorway  with  unwinking  eyes,  too  early  exiled  from  the  circle, 
but  solaced  with  peppermints  and  delicacies  which  the  Good 
Angel,  acquainted  with  the  corner  grocery,  has  brought  them 
in  their  sleep  the  night  before.  So  the  day,  and  the  night, 
draw  to  a  close.  And  if  the  mood  of  the  party  has  been  a 
merry  one,  the  cocks,  perchance,  are  crowing  under  the  snow- 
muffled  sheds,  the  last  stars  fading  out  on  the  biting,  grey-blue 
sky  of  dawn,  as  the  guests  race  away  in  a  confusion  of  jangling 
bells,  and  straw,  and  snorting  of  the  ponies. 


^^X^<^f 


COMMHRCIAL   UNION   HETWKKN   CANADA 
AND    rilE   UNITHD  S  FA  PES. 


//.';/.  A'.  /irr//A'iroA'77/,  .1/.  r. 


k     A'l-di/  hi/oir  thi-  Canadian  Ciul> 


\ 


<»/"AV«'  Yoik. 


'  \'   heartiest   thanks   first   for  the   honor 
of  addressinjj  \ou  this  evening. 

It  is  niy  purpose  to  discuss  the 
merits  of  full  and  complete  reciprocity 
of  traile  and  commerce — commercial 
union,  if  you  please — between  the 
United  States  and  the  Dominion  of 
Canada. 

Import  and  export  duties  are  levied  fort  two  purposes.     , 
First — To  collect  revenue  to  defray  the  expenses  and  to 
pay  the  debts  of  the  government. 


iy6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Second — To  encourage,  foster,  and  protect  domestic 
industry. 

The  protective  system,  as  it  is  called,  has  for  its  object  to 
do  away  with  the  inequalities  which  obtain  between  competi- 
tors in  this  country  and  those  of  the  old  world  who  are 
engaged  in  the  same  industrial  fields. 

Protection  was  not  intended  as  an  agency  for  the  mere 
increase  of  profits  ;  consequently  the  question  which  should  be 
considered  by  Congress  is  not  simply  that  of  the  magnitude  of 
profits  resulting  from  manufactures  established  under  its  wings, 
but  the  question  is  whether  we  should  be  able,  without  the 
protective  duty  levied  on  articles  of  commerce  produced  in  the 
old  world,  to  engage  successfully  in  manufactures  at  all.  The 
question  is  whether  the  perfected  plans  of  the  older  countries, 
the  rare  skill  of  its  workmen,  resulting  from  the  accumulated 
experience  of  years,  together  with  the  abundance  of  cheap 
labor,  does  not  enable  European  manufacturers  to  lay  down 
goods  at  our  doors  cheaper  than  we  could  possibly  produce 
them  ;  and  whether  money  invested  in  a  shop,  mill  or  factory, 
in  view  of  such^ competition,  is  not  an  absolute  loss. 

This  does  not  apply  with  so  much  force  to  the  agricul- 
turist who  an  compete  with  the  world  in  the  growth  of  agri- 
cultural products.  The  protective  tarifT  naturally  raises  the 
price  of  all  the  articles  upon  which  a  duty  is  imposed,  and  the 
cost  of  most  of  the  articles  the  farmer  uses,  except  those  he 
produces  himself,  is  thereby  enhanced.  The  farmer  found  a 
compensation  under  the  protective  system  in  the  fact  that, 
under  the  development  of  our  industries,  great  cities  and  towns 
grew  up,  and  markets  for  the  products  of  the  farms  were  thereby 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        lyy 

created.  What  the  farmer  lost  through  the  increased  cost  of 
the  articles  he  purchased,  he  more  than  made  up  through  the 
increased  amount  he  received  for  the  supplies  he  was  enabled 
to  sell  to  those  employed  in  the  industries  which  owed  their 
existence  to  the  protective  system.  But,  as  a  tub  to  the  agri- 
cultural whale,  a  tariff  was  levied  also  upon  farm  produce. 

The  European  manufacturer  and  merchant  cannot  dispose 
of  a  plow,  a  trace-chain,  a  knife  or  a  hoe  upon  our  market 
without  paying  a  large  tax  to  our  government  for  the  privilege. 
Nor  can  the  foreign  merchant  sell  us  a  yard  of  cloth  or  silk,  or 
a  quinine  pill,  until  he  has  paid  the  duty  levied  by  Congress. 
Of  course  this  is  all  paid  at  last  by  the  consumer,  who  finds  a 
compensation  for  the  alleged  burden  in  the  prosperity  of  his 
country,  brought  about  in  the  manner  I  have  mentioned.  The 
tariff  is  a  law  arbitrarily  enacted  by  Congress — there  is  but  one 
party  to  its  formation.  It  is  a  system  with  which  the  nation 
resorting  to  it  has  alone  to  do. 

It  should  and  does  ostensibly  deal  with  unequal  conditions 
in  the  field  of  competition,  its  mission  should  be  that  of  equal- 
izing them.  It  follows  logically,  and  as  a  common-sense 
proposition,  that  when  the  conditions  are  equal,  so-called 
protection  is  disguised  robbery,  legalized  filching  from  one 
citizen  to  enrich  another  citizen. 

Reciprocity  of  trade  involves  an  agreement  between  two 
nations,  according  to  the  terms  of  which,  trade  and  commerce 
are  to  be  carried  on  between  the  people  of  the  two  contract- 
ing nations. 

The  proposition  in  the  instance  which  concerns  us,  the 
merits  of  which  I  shall  discuss,  is  that  of  a  full  and  complete 


iy8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History,  v 

reciprocal  trade  and  commerce  between  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  By  its  terms,  for  all  purposes  of  trade,  barter  and 
exchange,  the  two  countries  shall  be  as  one  country.  There 
being  no  necessary  connection  or  relation  between  the  political 
institutions  of  a  country  and  its  trade  and  commerce,  the 
arrangement  has  nothing  to  do  with  government  matters  or 
political  conditions.  By  this  arrangement  we  seek  to  remove 
all  the  custom-houses  along  our  Canadian  frontier,  to  withdraw 
the  line  of  pickets  that  keep  watch  and  ward  on  both  sides 
along  3,000  miles  of  our  northern  boundary,  in  order  that,  on 
the  one  hand,  the  American  farmer  shall  not  sell  to  his  neigh- 
bor across  the  line  some  early  potatoes  or  early  corn  without 
first  going  to  the  custom-house  and  paying  a  large  part  of  the 
value  of  the  produce  for  the  privilege ;  while  compelling,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  Canadian  to  submit  to  the  same  extortion 
before  he  can  sell  to  his  friend  who  supplied  him  with  the 
early  corn  and  potatoes  a  later  variety  of  the  same  articles. 
We  propose — as  the  inhabitants  of  what  should  be  considered, 
for  all  trade  purposes,  a  common  country,  being  in  race, 
religion,  ancestry  and  tradition  one  people,  and  differing  only  in 
our  political  institutions — to  throw  down  the  barriers  that  now 
block  every  highway  of  business  prosperity  and  progress,  and 
open  all  the  courses  and  channels  of  trade  between  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico  and  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Dominion  of 
Canada.  We  propose  that  the  farmer,  the  manufacturer  anil 
the  merchant  shall,  unhampered  and  unrestricted,  seek  markets 
in  every  part  of  this  vast  field  of  development,  and  thereby 
settle  at  once,  and  in  a  manner  worthy  of  our  race  and  civiliza- 
tion, the  petty  squabbles  about  the  fisheries  now  more  than  a 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        lyo 

century  old.  He  who  appeals  to  the  protective  system  between 
competitors  in  Canada  and  in  the  United  States,  asks  for 
monopoly  not  equality.  He  seeks  an  unjust  advantage,  not 
an  equal  opportunity.  :v 

Both  Americans  and  Canadians  may  invoke  the  protective 
system  against  the  whole  world,  but  the  system  has  no  proper 
place  between  Canadians  and  Americans,  unless  authorized 
extortion  in  the  interest  of  monopolists  should  be  the  proper 
aim  of  legislative  effort.  !>;::.' 

There  is  not  a  condition,  there  is  not  a  worthy  interest 
involved  in  the  proposition  that  does  not  cry  out  against  the 
present  system  and  in  favor  of  the  fullest  reciprocal  trade.      ' 

Careful  investigation  will  disclose  that  the  growth  of  our 
industries  is  in  a  large  measure  the  result  of  our  system  of  patent 
laws,  which  has  funded  and  multiplied  industries  almost  beyond 
computation.  It  is  well  to  understand  which  are  the  actual 
sources  of  our  prosperity.  I  have  not  time  to  discuss  at  length 
this  factor  of  the  problem  ;  therefore  1  shall  proceed  with  the 
main  question,  the  nature  of  which  I  have  endeavored  to 
explain. 

The  adoption  of  the  proposed  system  would  involve  an 
assimilation  of  tariff  rates  and  internal  revenue  taxes,  and  pos- 
sibly an  arrangement  for  pooling  receipts  from  customs,  and  a 
division  on  some  equitable  basis — all  f)f  which,  as  it  has  been 
fully  demonstrated,  present  no  serious  difficulty  or  embarrass- 
ing problem. 

The  details  of  the  arrangement  I  do  not  propose  now  to 
discuss.  It  is  enough  to  remark  that  once  the  policy  being 
decided  upon,  its  execution  will  be  an  easy  matter. 


i8o  .-.N'ew  Papers  on  Canadian  History.  \ 

The  times  and  the  conditions  into  which  both  countries 
are  placed  force  this  question  upon  public  attention. 

It  is  said  that  unsettled  public  questions  have  no  pity  for 
the  repose  of  nations.  The  truth  of  that  saying  is  fitly  illus- 
trated by  the  disturbing  influence  of  the  unsettled  fisheries 
question  between  the  United  States  and  Canada.  It  stands, 
and  it  has  remained  since  the  treaty  of  Paris,  a  constant  and 
threatening  menace  to  the  peace  and  repose  of  both  nations. 
It  has  been  a  barrier  to  trade  and  commerce  between  the  two 
countries.  It  relates  to  but  a  single  industry,  and  efforts  have 
been  repeatedly  made  to  settle  it  without  reference  to  interests 
with  which,  in  the  future  of  things,  it  is  inseparably  inter- 
twined. The  question  is  not  a  new  one,  nor  does  it  now  for 
the  first  time  force  itself  forward  and  challenge  the  thoughtful 
consideration  of  both  nations.  It  relates  to  the  rights  and 
obligations  of  the  fishermen  of  the  two  countries  to  catch  fish 
in  certain  localities  and  to  sell  it  in  certain  markets.  Relat- 
ing solely  to  the  privileges  of  a  few  thousand  fishermen  engaged 
in  a  single  avocation,  it  draws  into  the  vortex  of  the  contro- 
versy, nevertheless,  all  other  trade  and  commercial  interests 
between  the  two  nations.  Canada  and  the  United  States  are 
contiguous.  They  both  formed  a  part  of  the  Dominion  of 
Great  Britain.  The  colonists  of  the  United  States  of  to-day 
bore  their  share  of  the  burdens  and  endured  hardships  and 
fought  to  establish  the  sovereignty  of  the  British  flag  in  what 
now  constitutes  the  Dominion  of  Canada.  The  history  of  the 
Dominion,  so  far  as  her  political  relation  to  the  mother  country 
is  concerned,  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  United  States. 
In  that  respect,  the  experience  of  Canada  is  about  the  same  as 


Art,  Science^  Literattire,  and  Commerce.         i8i 

ours;  the  only  difference  being  that  England,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  a  riper  and  more  enlightened  civilization,  inspired  by 
broader  statesmanship,  in  which  the  sword  played  a  less  con- 
spicuous   part    than    formerly — accorded    to   Canada   prompt 
redress  for  her  grievances,  recognizing  the  necessities  of  the 
situation  and  the  inexorable   logic  of  the  time.     The  careful 
student  of  history  will  discover  that  the  demands  of  the  Cana- 
dian provinces,  upon  the  mother  country,  for  larger  powers  and 
wider  jurisdiction  in  the  management  of  their  affairs,  were  of  a 
nature  and  extent  which  outstripped  the  original  demands  of 
the  American   colonists.     While   entertaining  and  cherishing 
respect  and  affection   for  the   mother  country,  Canada,  in  the 
school  of  experience,  learned  of  her  needs ;  and,  in  a  manner 
which  suggests  something  more  than  fiimnei^s,  pttitirned  for 
relief  which  was  granted  sooner  or  later.     The  restrictions  and 
the  burdens  imposed  upon  the  trade,  commerce  and  the  manu- 
factures of  the  colonies  by  the    mother  country  were  intoler- 
able.   No  people  fit  to  be  free,  and  being  at  all  worthy  of  their 
English  ancestry,  could  submit  to  them.      However,  Canadians 
did  not  submit.    Whether  themselves  and  the  world  in  general 
have  been   the  gainers  on   that     account,    future   events  will 
.show. 

It  is  exceedingly  interesting  to  note  how  like  suppliants 
the  colonists  approached  the  mother  country  and  sued  for  relief 
against  laws  confessedly  oppressive  and  whose  administration 
was  intolerable.  Observe  the  manner  in  which  our  cousins  on 
the  North  stood  and  demanded  what  experience  had  taught 
them  proper  as  belonging  to  a  free  and  enlightened  people  in 
the   matter  of  self-government.     Long  ago,  Flngland  decided 


i82  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

that  free-trade  was  best  for  her  interests;  but  ".Jot  until  she 
became,  under  a  different  system,  the  workshop  of  the  world 
and  mistress  of  the  seas. 

So  far  as  the  colonists  themselves  were  concerned,  her 
restrictions  upon  the  trade  of  her  American  colonies  had  little 
of  the  flavor  of  free-trade  about  them. 

Virginia  was  required  to  ship  her  tobacco  to  England  in 
English  vessels  solely.  England  interposed  her  authority  to 
paralyze  every  manufacturing  industry  in  the  country.  Such 
a  condition  of  things  could  not  last,  and  we  were  finally  com- 
pelled to  set  up  for  ourselves,  but  not  until  we  had  helped  to 
establish  the  sovereignty  of  the  British  flag  over  the  country 
north  of  us.  In  1763  England  sent  to  Canada  her  first  Gov- 
ernor-General. In  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
the  legislative  bodies  of  Canada  had  but  little  power;  but  dur- 
ing the  last  fifty  years  the  Provinces  were  not  slow  to  demand 
such  enlargement  of  the  powers  of  their  home  governments  as 
were  required  by  the  people.  England  acceded,  though  not 
always  with  good  grace,  to  the  point  that  the  destiny  of 
Canada,  by  common  consent,  is  to-day  practically  confided  to 
Canadians.  If  Canada's  past  belongs  to  England,  her  future 
is  her  own.  The  growth  of  the  country  in  substantial  inde- 
pendence and  through  the  management  of  her  own  affairs  has  in 
no  wise  disturbed  her  filial  regard  for  the  mother  country.  When 
I  say  the  mother  country,  I  mean  the  people  of  England,  not 
the  English  government.  I  make  this  distinction  because  there 
is  a  broad  difference  between  an  affectionate  regard  for  the 
people  of  a  nation  and  an  unquestionable  loyalty  to  the  gov- 
ernmental policy  which  that  nation  may  see  fit  to  adopt.     I 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        i8j 

was  devotedly  attached  to  my  father :  I  loved  and  honored 
him.  I  might  not  have  felt  great  enthusiasm  for  his  disciplin- 
ary  ideas  about  household  matters  after  I  had  acquired  a  home 
and  a  family  of  my  own.  Canadians  have  the  best  of  reasons 
to  cherish  the  deepest  and  sincerest  affection  for  their  English 
ancestors.  But  neither  involve  the  surrender  of  independence 
of  character  and  action  which  are  inseparable  from  worthy 
manhood,  a  quality  which  is  bound  to  assert  itself,  not  only 
in  those  things  that  concern  the  individual,  but  also  in  affairs 
of  the  State.  v^ 

I  am  addressing  Canadians  whose  loyalty  cannot  be 
doubted.  If  I  refer  to  the  history  of  the  course  pursued  by 
the  United  States  and  Canada  towards  the  mother  country,  it 
is  only  to  show  that  what  has  been  sought  in  the  past  as  well 
as  in  the  future  is  the  freedom,  prosperity  and  happiness  of 
the  citizens  of  each  nation  ;  in  fact  they  have  been  treading 
the  same  paths  in  order  to  attain  a  similar  end.  Canada 
remains  loyal  to  England  because  the  latter  has  granted  her 
those  rights  and  privileges,  a  denial  of  which  to  the  colonists 
of  the  Republic  drove  them,  into  emulating  the  example  of  , 
their  English  ancestors,  namely,  suing  for  them  or  fighting  for 
them  if  need  be. 

The  controversy  about  the  fisheries  is  a  quarrel  between 
ourselves.  It  is  for  us  to  settle  and  to  adjust  that  controversy 
in  consonance  with  enlightened  principles  and  a  fair  regard  for 
the  rights,  duties,  obligations  and  interests  of  both  nations. 
Hitherto  a  settlement  has  been  impossible  because  negotia- 
tions were  carried  on  from  the  English  stand-point  of  the 
economic  principle  which  should  govern  trade  and  commerce 


184  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

between  the  directly  interested  parties.  Under  such  circum- 
stances, a  permanent  and  lasting  solution  of  the  question  was 
tantamount  to  impossibility,  and  had  to  remain  so  as  long  as 
English  interests,  as  contradistinguished  from  those  of  Canada, 
were  to  be  first  considered.  No  full  and  final  adjustment  can 
ever  be  reached  on  the  matter,  except  through  negotiations 
between  those  immediately  interested  and  who  are  to 
be  affected  by  them,  and  these  are  the  provinces  of  Canada 
and  the  United  States.  The  adjustment  must  not  be  based 
upon  the  idea  or  theory  that  the  fishing  interests  are  to  be 
segregated  and  treated  as  if  they  stood  apart  and  alone,  free 
and  disassociated  from  other  interests,  industries  and  avoca- 
tions. Any  settlement  that  should  have  for  basis  anything  in 
view  except  that  of  securing  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest 
number,  would  be  partial  and  unjust,  and  would  be  a  false 
premise. 

The  fisheries  imbroglio  had  its  growth  in  the  following 
manner :  Prior  to  the  American  Revolution  the  inhabitants  of 
the  English  dependencies  in  America  enjoyed  in  common  the 
fishing  grounds  in  the  neighborhood  of  Nova  Scotia,  New- 
foundland, and  in  the  bays  and  gulfs  in  those  localities.  The 
treaty  of  1783,  at  the  termination  of  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, defined  in  a  vague  manner  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
the  people  of  the  United  States  to  the  fisheries.  Innumerable 
controversies  were  constantly  growing  out  of  alleged  trespas.ses 
by  one  or  the  other  party,  and  armed  cruisers  were  kept  in 
those  waters  to  protect  the  rights  of  either  parties. 

The  treaty  of  Ghent,  which  was  signed  at  the  end  of  the 
war  of  1 8 14  (December,  18 14),  is  silent  on  the  subject  of  the 


Art,  Science,  Literaticre,  and  Commerce.        185 

fisheries.  Subsequently,  England  showed  a  disposition  to 
treat  the  omission  as  a  surrender  by  the  United  States  of  their 
positive  rights  to  the  fishing  privileges  theretofore  enjoyed  by 
Americans.  England's  interpretation  of  the  omission  was  not 
allowed  by  the  United  States,  so  the  dispute  went  on  and 
threatened,  from  time  to  time,  to  culminate  in  war.  In  1X51 
the  relations  of  the  two  countries  were  strained  to  the  last 
degree,  1  mean  the  relations  between  England  and  the  United 
States — Canada  was  merely  considered  then  as  the  cause  of 
the  quarrel  rather  than  a  party  to  it.  In  fact,  Canada  was  the 
little  boy  whose  big  brother  had  borrowed  the  quarrel. 
Observing  statesmen  on  this  continent  viewed  the  question  in 
its  true  and  logical  aspect,  and  the  United  States  and  Canada 
maintained  that  the  controversy  involved  something  beyond 
the  interest  of  the  respective  parties  in  the  fisheries.  In  their 
estimation  the  question  embraced  the  trade  and  commerce 
between  Canada  and  the  United  States,  and  they  maintained 
that  the  only  possible  and  lasting  adjustment  was  one  which 
would  place  the  trade  between  the  two  countries  on  a  reci- 
procal footing.  But  this  could  only  be  effected  by  a  treaty 
with  England.  Such  favor  did  reciprocity  of  trade  find  in  this 
country  that  in  1848  the  House  of  Representatives  passed  a 
bill  enacting  its  establishment.  John  Quincy  Adams  was  a 
member  of  that  House ;  so  were  Robert  C.  Winthrop  and 
Abraham  Lincoln.  The  attitude  of  the  Whigs  toward  recip- 
rocity may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  party  had  a 
majority  of  ten  in  the  House  which  passed  this  bill,  whilst  the 
Senate  was  Democratic.  However,  the  bill  failed  to  become  a 
law  because  it  came  too  late  before  the  adjournment  of  the 


iS6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Senate,  for  that  body  to  give  it  proper  consideration.  This 
happened  under  the  administration  of  Fillmore,  of  which 
Daniel  Webster  was  Secretary  of  State,  and  Wm.  H.  Seward 
Senator  for  the  State  of  New  York.  ■  v-  ;.  ,.        ;    -;  . 

In  closing  his  speech  on  the  subject  of  the  fisheries,  Mr. 
Seward  said  : 

"  What  the  colonies  require  is  some  modification  of  com- 
mercial relations  which  may  affect  the  revenue.  That  is  a  sub- 
ject proper  to  be  acted  upon  by  Congress.  Let  us  no  longer 
excite  ourselves  and  agitate  the  country  with  unavailing 
debates,  but  let  us  address  ourselves  to  the  relief  of  the  fisher- 
men and  the  improvement  of  our  commerce.  There  is  only 
one  way  that  Congress  can  act,  and  that  is  by  reciprocal  legis- 
lation with  the  British  Parliament  or  the  British  colonies." 

And  he  further  asks  whether  some  reciprocal  legislation 
cannot  be  adopted  to  adjust  these  difficulties  and  at  the  same 
time  consistently  enlarge  the  rights  of  our  fishermen  with  the 
various  other  interests  of  the  United  States. 

The  wisdom  of  those  who  adopted  that  view  has  been 
attested  by  time  and  experience.  Partial  reciprocity  came  in 
1854,  and  only  failed  in  its  mission  because  it  was  partial, 
unequal,  and  in  a  measure  unjust.  It  is  believed  that  Canada, 
had  the  advantage  in  that  arrangement.  However,  the  treaty 
which  secured  a  partial  reciprocity  proved  the  adequacy  of 
the  remedy  if  fully  and  properly  applied. 

In  1874  President  Grant,  in  furtherance  of  this  policy^ 
negotiated  a  treaty  establishing  in  part  substantially  what  is 
now  proposed.  The  treaty,  which  was  negotiated  by  President 
Grant  and  Secretary  Fish  on  the  one  hand,  and  Sir  Edward 


Art,  Science,  Literature ,  and  Commerce.        i8j 

Thornion  and  the  Hon.  George  Brown,  Commissioners  for  the 
Provinces  and  Great  Britain  on  the  other  hand,  contained  the 
following  propositions,  1  quote  from  a  report  semi-ofTicially 
submitted  by  Mr.  Brown  to  the  Canadian  Senate: 

"The  draft  treaty  embraces  ten  propositions:  i.  The 
concession  to  the  United  States  of  our  fisheries  for  twenty-one 
years,  and  the  abandonment  of  the  Washington  treaty  arbitra- 
tion. 2.  The  admission  into  both  countries,  duty  free,  of  cer- 
tain natural  products  therein  named.  3.  The  admission,  duty 
free,  of  certain  manufactured  articles  therein  named.  4.  The 
enlargement  of  our  Welland  and  St.  Lawrence  canals.  5.  The 
construction  of  the  Caughnawaga  and  Whitehall  canals. 
6.  The  free  navigation  of  the  great  inland  lakes  and  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  River.  7.  The  concession  to  each  other,  on  equal 
terms,  of  the  use  of  the  Canadian,  New  York  and  Michigan 
canals.  8.  The  reciprocal  admission  of  ve.ssels  built  in  one 
of  the  countries  to  all  the  advantages  of  registry  in  the  other. 

9.  The  formation  of  a  joint  commission  to  secure  the  efficient 
lighting  of  the  great  inland  waters  common  to  both  countries. 

10.  The  formation  of  a  joint  commission  to  promote  the  pro- 
tection and  propagation  of  fish  on  the  great  inland  waters 
common  to  both  countries." 

The  proposed  Caughnawaga  canal  was  intended  to  connect 
the  St.  Lawrence  river  at  Montreal  with  the  northern  end  of 
Lake  Champlain.  The  Whitehall  canal  was  intended  to  connect 
the  Hudson  river  at  Troy  with  Lake  Champlain  at  Whitehall. 
By  referring  to  the  list  of  articles  covered  by  this  treaty, 
it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  free  from  one  of  the  objections  con- 
tained in  the  reciprocity  treaty  of  1854,  as  it  was  proposed  to 


iS8  New  Pape7's  on  Canadian  History, 

admit  into  the  Canadian  n  ^.rkets  the  products  of  our  factories, 
which  were  excluded  by  the  treaty  of  1854.  The  list  covered 
by  the  treaty  is  as  follows :  Agncu'*  ural  implements,  of  all 
kinds;  axles,  of  all  kinds;  boots  an  hoes,  of  leather;  boot 
and  shoemaking  machines  ;  buffalo  ro  dressed  and  trimmed  ; 
cotton  grain  bags ;  cotton  denims ;  cc  ^u  jeans,  unbleached  ; 
cotton  drillings,  unbleached;  cotton  plaids;  cotton  ticking; 
cottonacks,  unbleached ;  cabinet  ware  or  furniture,  or  parts 
thereof ;  carriages,  carts,  wagons  and  other  wheeled  vehicles  or 
sleighs,  or  parts  thereof ;  fire-engines,  or  parts  thereof ;  felt 
covering  for  boilers ;  gutta-percha  belting  and  tubing;  iron — 
bar,  hoop,  pig,  puddled,  rod,  sheet  or  scrap ;  iron  nails,  spikes, 
bolts,  tacks,  braids,  or  springs,  iron-castings  ;  India-rubber  belt- 
ing and  tubing ;  locomotives  for  railways,  or  parts  thereof ; 
lead,  sheet  or  pig ;  leather,  sole  or  upper ;  leather,  harness  or 
saddlery ;  mill  or  factory  or  steamboat  fixed  engines  and 
machines.  Or  parts  thereof ;  manufactures  of  marble,  stone, 
slate,  or  granite ;  manufactures  of  wood  solely,  or  of  wood 
nailed,  bound,  hinged,  or  locked  with  metal  materials  ;  mangles, 
washing  machines,  wringing  machines,  drying  machines,  or  parts 
thereof ;  printing  paper  for  newspapers ;  paper-making  machines, 
or  parts  thereof;  printing  type,  presses  and  folders,  paper  cut- 
ters, ruling  machines,  page-numbering  machines,  and  stereo- 
typing and  electrotyping  apparatus,  or  parts  thereof ;  refriger- 
ators, or  parts  thereof;  railroad  cars,  carriages  and  trucks,  or 
parts  thereof ;  satinets  of  wool  and  cotton  ;  steam-engines,  or 
parts  thereof ;  steel,  wrought  or  cast,  and  steel-plates  and  rails  ; 
tin  tubes  and  piping ;  tweeds,  of  wool  solely ;  water-wheel 
machines  and  apparatus,  or  parts  thereof. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         iS^ 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  proposed  treaty  embraced 
those  articles  which  are  in  daily  use  among  the  people,  and 
such  as  are  needed  in  leading  industries.  It  aimed  specially  to 
help  those  branches  of  industry  in  which  the  citizens  of  both 
countries  were  alike  engaged  in,  and  to  exempt  those  articles  in 
which  considerable  traffic  was  likely  to  take  place. 

While  commenting  upon  the  merit  of  this  treaty,  a  leading 
statesman  of  Canada,  the  Hon.  George  Brown,  and  as  already 
stated  one  of  the  Commissioners  for  Great  Britain,  said  : 

"  The  first,  second  and  seventh  propositions  go  naturally 
together,  and  they  need  no  comment.  They  embrace  simply 
the  conditions  of  the  old  treaty  of  1854,  which  operated  so 
favorably  for  us,  and  so  much  more  favorably  for  the  United 
States.    I  will  leave  it  for  the  present  and  return  to  it  again. 

"  The  fourth  proposition — for  the  enlargement  of  our  exist- 
ing canals — is  one  eminently  for  the  advantage  of  the  United 
States,  and  involves  a  very  large  expenditure  on  our  part.  It 
is  impossible  to  estimate  the  enormous  annual  gains  that  must 
result  to  the  farmers  of  the  Western  States,  when  vessels  of 
1,000  and  1,200  tons  shall  be  able  to  load  in  the  upper  lake 
ports  and  sail  direct  to  Liverpool — free  from  transhipment 
expenses,  brokers'  commissions,  way-harbor  dues,  and  ocean 
port-charges,  and  return  direct  to  the  prairies  with  hardy 
emigrants  and  cargoes  of  European  merchandise.  Canada,  no 
doubt,  would  have  her  share  of  benefit  from  all  this — but  it 
could  not  be  compared  for  a  moment  with  that  of  the  great 
Northwestern  and  some  of  the  Middle  States. 

"  The  fifth  proposition — for  the  construction  of  the  Caugh- 
nawaga  canal—  would  be  also  an  immense  boon  to  the  United 


igo  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

States.  It  would  open  up  to  the  dense  manufacturing  popu- 
lation of  New  England,  ""^r  the  first  time,  a  direct  water  com- 
munication of  their  own  with  the  great  West  ;  it  would  enable 
them  to  load  ships  of  i,ooo  tons  at  their  Lake  Champlain  ports 
with  merchandise  for  the  prairie  States,  and  bring  them  back 
freighted  with  farm  produce  ;  and  when  the  Whitehall  canal 
should  be  enlarged  to  Troy,  and  the  improvements  of  the 
upper  Hudson  completed  to  deep  water,  where  in  the  wide 
world  could  be  found  so  grand  a  system  of  internal  water 
navigations  that,  stretching  as  it  then  would,  in  one  continuous 
ship  channel  from  New  York  on  the  Atlantic  to  the  west  end 
of  Lake  Superior,  possibly  ere  long  to  the  eastern  base  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Canada,  too,  would  have  her  share  of  profit 
in  ail  this.  Her  great  lumber  interests  on  the  Ottawa  and  its 
branches  would  find  full  advantage  from  it,  and  the  enterpris- 
ing farmers  of  the  midland  and  eastern  counties  of  Ontario 
would  have  the  New  England  market,  with  its  three  and  a 
half  millions  of  manufacturing  population,  open  to  their  traffic. 
"  The  si.xth  proposition  is  the  concession  to  each  other  of 
the  inland  coasting-trade,  and  nothing  could  be  done  more 
sensible  or  more  profitable  to  both  parties.  Our  season  of 
navigation  on  the  lakes  is  short  the  pressure  for  vessels  in 
particular  trades  at  special  times  is  very  great  on  both  sides  of 
the  lakes,  and  freights  advance  to  unreasonable  rates.  Cheap 
transportation  is  a  foremost  question  in  this  Western  industrial 
world,  and  what  can  be  conceived  more  absurd  than  to  see,  as 
is  often  seen,  large  quantities  of  produce  lying  unshipped  for 
want  of  vessels,  because  foreign  bottoms  cannot  take  freight 
from  one  port  to  another  in   the  same  country?     What  the 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        igi 

United  States  could  fear  from  the  competition  of  our  limited 
marine  with  the  5,576  vessels  of  all  kinds  and  an  aggregate 
tonnage  of  788,000  tons,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine. 

"  The  eighth  proposition — for  the  reciprocal  admission  of 
vessels  built  in  either  country  to  registry  in  the  other — is  gen- 
erally regarded  as  highly  advantageous  to  this  country,  and  no 
doubt  such  is  the  fact.  But  I  confess  1  cannot  see  why  it 
ought  not  to  be  regarded  as  infinitely  more  advantageous  to 
the  United  States.  During  the  civil  war  the  merchant  vessels 
of  the  Republic  were  sold  in  large  numbers  to  foreign  owners, 
and  acquired  foreign  registers,  and  notwithstanding  that  ship- 
building had  almost  disappeared  from  the  United  States  in 
consequence  of  an  extreme  protectionist  policy,  the  law  abso- 
lutely forbade  their  being  brought  back  or  vessels  of  foreign 
build  being  purchased  in  their  stead.  The  consequence  is  that, 
at  this  moment,  nearly  the  entire  passenger  traffic  of  the 
Atlantic  is  in  the  hands  of  foreigners — a  vast  portion  of  the 
freight  of  merchandise  from  and  to  foreign  countries  is  also  in 
the  hands  of  foreigners — and  only  two  months  ago  we  had  the 
.startling  statement  made  officially  by  Mr.  Bristow,  the  very 
able  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Treasury,  that  no  less  a 
sum  than  $100,000,000  is  paid  annually  by  the  people  of  the 
United  States  to  foreign  ship-owners  for  freights  and  fares. 
Now,  a  large  portion  of  these  ships,  which  the  people  of  the 
United  States  require  so  urgently,  can  be  as  well  built  in 
St.  John  and  Halifax  and  Quebec,  and  at  less  cost  than  in  any 
other  country.  Why,  then,  deprive  the  American  citizens  of 
the  privilege  of  buying  them  from  us  and  sailing  them  as  their 
own  ?     We  are  told  that   American  shipbuilding  is  reviving ; 


1^2  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

but  were  it  to  revive  w.th  all  the  rapidity  the  most  sanguine 
could  desire,  it  could  not  keep  pace  with  the  wear  and  tear 
of  the  present  reduced  marine  and  the  annually  increasing 
demands,  much  less  begin  to  supply  the  vacuum  created  since 
the  war. 

"  The  ninth  and  tenth  proposals  are  for  the  appointment 
of  joint  commissions  for  the  care  of  the  light-houses  and  the 
fisheries  of  the  inland  waters  common  to  both  countries ;  but 
as  to  these  there  is  no  difference  of  opinion,  and  no  doubt  of 
the  great  mutual  advantage  that  might  flow  from  the  proposed 
concerted  action  in  regard  to  them." 

This  treaty  did  not  fail  by  reason  of  its  not  finding  favor 
with  the  Senate.  It  was  laid  before  that  body  only  on  the 
17th  of  June,  1874,  and  so  near  adjournment  that  there  was 
not  time  for  its  consideration. 

The  propositions  show  how  broad  and  sweeping  the  con- 
templated changes  would  have  been.  Had  the  treaty  been 
consummated  it  would  have  been  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
achievements  of  President  Grant's  administration,  as  it  would 
have  removed  the  last  barrier  which  intercepts  the  natural 
and  healthful  flow  of  trade  between  Canada  and  the  United 
States.  In  course  of  time,  the  advantages  of  such  reciprocal 
relations  would  have  become  so  manifest  that  not  a  vestige  of 
our  system  of  custom-houses  and  tolls — system  which  has 
nothing  to  commend  it — would  have  remained  to  tell  of  the 
strained  relations  which  had  formerly  existed  between  England 
and  the  United  States. 

During  the  last  days  of  the  Forty-ninth  Congress,  I  intro- 
duced a  bill  which  provided  for  securing  full,  complete  and 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         igj 

unrestricted  trade  and  commerce  between  the  sixty  millions  of 
people  of  the  United  States  and  the  five  millions  of  Canadians, 
who  are  not  only  our  kinsmen,  but  our  nearest  neighbors — 
in  fact,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  of  our  very  household. 
Though  somewhat  crude,  the  bill  clearly  shows  the  way  to 
attain  the  object  in  view. 

It  is  suggested  that  there  is  some  doubt  as  to  how  this 
proposition  would  be  received  by  the  American  people.  First, 
let  me  tell  you  that  it  is  not  a  party  question,  and  that  it  has 
been  received  with  general  favor  by  the  leading  journals  of  the 
land.  It  is  a  proposition  above  the  level  of  mere  partisan 
expediency,  and  it  appeals  to  a  higher  motive  and  nobler 
ambition.  It  is  a  question  of  public  policy  affecting  the  people 
of  both  sections,  and  will  be  so  considered  by  our  people.  It 
involves,  of  course,  a  revision  of  our  tariff,  and  this  may  suggest 
a  party  aspect  ;  on  that  score  it  may  be  opposed  by  those  who 
are  reaping  large  benefits  from  industry  which  are  specially 
and  extravagantly  protected.  However,  it  does  not  involve 
the  abandonment  of  either  free-trade  or  protective  theories. 
Whether  it  is  made  a  party  question  or  not,  the  party  lines 
cannot  be  drawn  closely  when  the  question  is  presented  for 
action.  There  are  times  in  the  United  States — even  when 
party  feeling  runs  high — when  the  whippers-in,  detailed  for  the 
service,  are  incapable  of  either  muzzling  their  partisans  or 
absolutely  control  their  votes.  I  have  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  policy  adopted  by  our  government  in  the  matter  of 
establishing  reciprocity  with  Canada  will  appeal  to  the  inde- 
pendence of  our  law-makers,  and  that  caucuses,  which  have 


ig^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History ^ 

especial  reference  to  mere  party  advantage,  will  not  be  allowed 
to  control  adversely  the  action  of  Congress. 

In  discussing  this  question  we  have  to  bear  in  mind  the 
relative  physical  conditions  of  the  two  countries.  The  territory 
of  Canada  is  interlocked  with  our  own.  The  rivers  and  lakes 
which  are  our  common  highways  of  traflfic  and  trade  cross  the 
boundary  lines.  Canadian  public  highways  are  also  ours.  There- 
fore, the  relation  of  our  territory  to  that  of  Canada,  the 
location  of  our  rivers,  the  natural  facilities  of  both  for  con- 
ducting exchanges,  all  suggest  and  plead  for  unhampered 
reciprocal  trade.  The  resources  of  Canada  in  material  wealth, 
her  supply  of  the  materials  indispensable  to  our  people,  ar 
boundless.  On  the  other  hand,  we  have  an  exhaustless  supply 
of  those  things  which  are  prominently  indispensable  to  the 
comfort  and  enjoyment  of  our  Canadian  neighbors.  Hence 
the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  free  commercial  intercourse. 
We  are  not  dealing  with  a  people  across  the  ocean,  but  with 
our  neighbors  and  kinsmen. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  read  statistics.  Statistics  are  dry, 
and  unless  studied  with  care  they  are  apt  to  mislead.  If 
figures  do  not  lie  they  may  be  made  to  prevaricate  most 
abominably.  It  is  chiefly  with  the  philosophy  of  the  situation 
I  purpose  to  deal  to-night. 

It  is  from  the  stand-point  of  dollars  and  cents  that  I 
propose  to  study  the  situation.  First,  let  me  ask  you  who  are 
the  parties  to  the  controversy  ?  with  whose  interests  are  we 
dealing? 

If  we  leave  out  of  the  question  the  matter  of  revenue 
for  the  support  of  the  government,  I  insist  that  unless  it  be 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,        i^^ 

•the  mission  of  both  governments  to  sacrifice  the  interests  of 
the  many  for  enriching  the  few,  the  present  system  which 
compels  our  Canadian  neighbors  to  pay  a  high  duty  on  fifty 
millions  of  dollars  worth  of  goods  a  year  for  the  privilege  of 
supplying  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  articles  indis- 
pensable to  their  comfort  and  prosperity,  and  which  on  the 
other  hand  compels  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  pay  a 
like  sum  into  the  public  treasury  of  Canada  for  the  privilege 
of  doing  like  service  for  Canadians  living  across  an  imaginary 
line,  I  say  the  system  is  absolutely  defenceless,  inexcusable. 
It  is  not  sufficient  to  show,  even  if  it  was  a  fact,  that  certain 
industries  prosper  under  such  a  system.  It  must  be  shown  that 
the  systeni  promotes  the  general  good.  In  other  words,  to  be 
equitable,  the  prosperity  resulting  from  any  governmental 
system  must  give  equal  opportunities  to  every  citizen.  The 
system  if  at  all  defensible,  is  solely  so  on  account  of  needed 
revenue. 

To  illustrate  the  character  of  the  trade  between  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  I  have  procured  a  statement  of  the  imports 
from  Canada  and  the  exports  to  the  Dominion  since  the  year 
1850  to  1878  inclusive,  covering  the  period  of  partial  recipro- 
city inaugurated  in  1854,  and  which  ended  in  1866.  Of  her 
products,  Canada  sold  to  the  United  States  in  round  numbers, 
during  that  period,  $70O,cxx),ooo  worth — lumber  or  timber  head- 
ing the  list.  During  the  same  period  we  exported  to  Canada 
$848,000,000  worth  of  our  goods.  I  should  be  glad  to  learn 
how  either  Canadian  or  Yankee  prospered  by  reason  of  the 
immense  tax  levied  upon  the  goods  so  exported  or  imported. 
I  should  be  glad   to  learn  of   the  blessings  derived  through 


ig6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

paying  for  duties  one-third  of  the  value  of  the  goods  so 
exchanged?  How  our  people  were  benefitted?  Those  who 
used  these  goods  in  this  country  or  Canada,  paid  for  them 
a  price  largely  in  excess  of  their  value,  because  they  were 
produced  on  one  or  the  other  side  of  an  imaginary  line 
which  marks  the  frontier  between  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  Certainly  that  in  this  instance  protection  is  inap- 
plicable and  detrimental. 

I  am  a  protectionist.  We  are  largely  indebted  to  that 
system  for  the  marvelous  development  of  our  industrial  arts. 
One  article  in  my  political  confession  of  faith  favors  the 
protection  of  infant  industries,  so  that  they  may  acquire  suffi- 
cient strength  to  enable  them  to  stand  independently  in  the 
field  of  competition.  But  that  article  of  faith,  mark  you,  only 
refers  to  infant  i.idustries,  and  not  to  full-grown  industries 
capable  of  maintaining  themselves  against  all  competitors.  To 
protect  industries  without  reference  to  condition  is  to  create 
monopolies,  the  over-weening  influence  of  which  would  be 
more  dangerous  to  liberty  than  the  crown  of  a  queen. 

My  countrymen  would  deserve  contempt  if  they  sought 
protection  against  Canadian  competition,  and — with  all  due 
respect  for  the  worthy  gentlemen  who  met  at  Toronto  to  speak 
about  the  manufactures  of  Canada— I  have  as  little  consider- 
ation for  the  Canadians  who  pretend  that  their  countrymen  are 
lacking  the  ability,  the  enterprise,  the  resources  necessary  to 
hold  their  own  against  the  United  States  in  any  field  of  indus- 
trial effort.  In  my  judgment,  protection  between  the  United 
States  and  Canada  means  no  more  and  no  less  than  the  taking  of 
money  from  the  pocket  of  one  citizen  and  of  putting  it  into 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.         79/ 

the  pocket  of  another,  the  latter  belonging  to  the  protected 
and  favored  class. 

As  stated  in  my  opening  remarks,  protection,  as  I  under- 
stand it,  relates  to  and  deals  with  unequal  conditions,  and  has 
no  other  just  mission  than  to  equalize  those  conditions.  It  is 
not  intended  to  harden  the  lot  of  the  many  in  order  that  the 
few  should  rejoice  in  prosperity.  To  protect  one  class  of 
citizens  against  another  class,  in  any  field  of  effort  where  the 
conditions  are  identical,  is  wholly  defenceless.  In  my  opinion, 
nothing  is  easier  than  to  defend  the  protective  system  of  the 
United  States  againrt  competition  from  the  old  world.  It 
would  certainly  be  difficult  to  explain  a  similar  system  between 
the  Eastern  and  Western  or  the  Northern  and  Southern  sections 
of  the  United  States,  and  such  a  system  is  equally  indefensible 
when  applied  between  Canada  and  the  United  States. 

I  refer  to  this  matter  at  this  time  because  my  position  on 
the  question  of  a  commercial  union  is  in  perfect  harmony  with 
my  convictions  upon  the  subject  of  protection,  inasmuch 
as  I  am  a  protectionist  of  a  somewhat  ultra  school.  I  contend, 
and  the  matter  is  too  clear  to  need  argumentation,  that  there 
is  as  little  reason,  abstractedly,  to  restrict  or  in  any  wise  hamper 
the  trade  between  the  United  States  and  Canada  as  there 
would  be  in  imposing  similar  restrictions  and  burthens  upon 
trade  between  the  inhabitants  of  Ohio  and  those  of  Illinois  and 
Iowa.  I  have  already  stated  that  a  protective  tariff  must 
have  for  its  sole  object  the  equalization  of  abnormal  conditions. 
If  it  be  true  that  prosperity  comes  simply  through  a  protective 
tariff,  without  reference  to  general  conditions,  and  that  we 
become  rich  and  prosperous  by  levying  duties  upon  all  we  buy, 


ig8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

provided  it  is  produced  elsewhere,  while  being  fenced  by  the 
same  operation  out  of  every  market  to  which  we  should  sell, 
then  why  should  not  each  State  in  this  Union  become  speedily 
rich  and  prosperous  by  simply  erecting  a  tariff  fence  as  between 
itself  and  the  other  States  of  the  Union?  It  is  true  the 
Constitution  forbids  this,  but  I  am  discussing  the  abstract 
proposition.  As  a  measure,  if  it  is  justifiable  in  the  case  of 
Canada,  because  it  insures  prosperity  to  its  people  adopting  it, 
v'^y  la  !*:  not  equally  admissible  between  the  various  States? 
They  might  become  prosperous  by  adopting  that  system  against 
sister  States,  and  since  prosperity  is  one  oi  the  high-roads  to 
happiness,  have  we  not  found  out  the  royai  road  to  prosperity 
and  happiness  by  taxing  ourselves  and  recognizing  the  right  of 
our  neighbors  to  tax  us  also  ?  What  has  been  heretofore 
considered  a  burden,  would  become  at  once  a  help  and  support ! 
The  principle  applied  to  Quebec  and  Ontario  and  the  other 
Provinces  would  make  them  speedily  prosperous.  It  is  what 
Mr.  Wiman  described  as  the  process  of  taxing  one'?  self  rich. 
Unless  it  can  be  shown  that  there  is  something  in  the 
situation  and  condition  of  Canada  which  makes  the  case 
exceptional,  and  takes  it  out  of  the  comparison  I  have  drawn, 
the  system  we  have  pursued  against  our  neighbors,  and  they 
against  us,  is  as  indefensible  as  it  would  be  for  Pennsylvania 
to  seek  the  prosperity  of  all  her  people  by  a  protective  tariff 
against  Illinois — Illinois  being  more  largely  an  agricultural 
State  than  Pennsylvania ;  or,  to  put  the  case  more  strongly,  as 
indefensible  as  it  would  be  for  Illinois  to  establish  a  tariff  for 
the  benefit  of  her  citizens  against  Connecticut  and  Massachu- 
setts, the  latter  being  manufacturing  States  while  the  former  is 


■  :     Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        igg 

largely  agricultural.  Careful  students  are  aware  that  the  laws 
of  compensation  are  immutable.  Trade  and  commerce  seek 
natural  channels  :  manufactures  ultimately  will,  other  things 
being  equal,  locate  nearest  the  base  of  raw  supplies,  otherwise 
it  would  involve  the  shipping  of  material  a  thousand  miles  to  be 
first  manufactured  and  then  the  reshipment  of  the  finished  pro- 
duct over  the  same  line  to  find  a  market.  ; ' 

In  so  far  as  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  are  concerned, 
what  are  the  objections  to  commercial  union  ?  I  hear  and  know 
of  none  except  some  of  a  local  character.  It  may  not  be  amiss 
here  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  one  of  the  leading  states- 
men of  the  day,  one  who  has  filled  possibly  a  larger  place  in 
the  public  mind  than  almost  any  other  man  of  our  day — I 
allude  to  James  G.  Blaine — has  advocated,  and  most  ably,  a 
commercial  union  between  the  United  States  and  the  South 
American  States.  His  proposition  met  with  general  favor,  and 
was  not  considered  as  a  mere  party  question.  If  great  advant- 
ages are  to  be  derived  from  a  commercial  union  with  South 
American  States,  how  much  greater  and  important  are  the 
advantages  to  be  gained  from  intimate  trade  relations  with 
those  upon  our  immediate  border  and  to  whom  we  are  allied 
by  ties  stronger  than  those  which  relate  merely  to  commerce, 
and  with  whom  our  trade,  although  they  number  but  five 
millions,  is  larger  than  that  of  the  forty-five  millions  lying 
south  of  us  and  with  whom  a  commercial  union  is  proposed. 
I  will  submit  a  statement  which  indicates  how  much  more 
valuable  Canada  is  to  the  United  States  as  a  market  than  all 
the  realms  lying  south  of  the  Rio  Grande,  including  Mexico 
and  the  Souih  American  States. 


200  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

During  the  year  1885  the  United  States  sold  to  all  the 
Central  and  South  American  States  but  $27,000,000  in  round 
numbers,  and  to  all  countries  south  of  the  Rio  Grande,  an 
aggregate  of  $64,000,000.  To  the  45,000,000  of  people  in  the 
south  we  sold  $64,000,000,  while  to  the  5.000,000  of  Canadians 
we  sold  over  $50,000,000. 

If  our  hampered  and  restricted  trade  with  5,000,000 
Canadians  now  reaches  over  $50,000,000,  what  will  be  its 
extent  when  the  blockade  is  removed,  and  when  our  neighbors 
shall  number  25,000,000  of  people? 

Do  American  manufacturers  fear  competition  ?  Certainly 
not.  Do  American  manufacturers  and  merchants  desire  the 
Canadian  market  with  its  great  possibilities?  Certainly  they 
do.  Does  the  American  farmer  fear  the  competition  of  the 
Canadian  farmer?  The  proposition  is  simply  absurd.  No 
possible  conflict  of  interest  on  those  scores.  On  the  contrary, 
experience  abundantly  proves  that  unrestricted  and  direct 
exchange  between  the  sources  of  supply  in  either  country  would 
give  a  new  impetus  to  every  branch  of  trade  and  industry  and 
result  in  a  great  era  of  prosperity  to  both  nations.  In  this 
connection  it  may  be  well  to  note  that  we  are  accustomed  to 
explain  to  the  agriculturist,  and  to  all  those  interested  in  the 
tilling  of  the  soil,  that  their  prosperity  has  been  brought  around 
by  the  protective  system  which  made  markets  for  their  grain 
and  other  products.  In  a  great  measure  this  is  indisputable.  But 
if  we  examine  the  statistics  which  furnish  us  with  the  range  of 
prices  for  farm  products  during  the  last  sixty  years,  we  find 
that,  whatever  may  have  happened  to  other  branches  of  industry 
the  prices  for  farm  products  have  not  substantially  advanced. 


Art,    Science,  Lilerahire,  and  Commerce.        201 

To  prove  the  correctness  of  my  assertion  I  will  read  to  you 
a  list  of  the  prices  which  obtained  at  various  times  during  a 
period  of  sixty  years. 

I  quote  New  York  prices  and  take  them  from  the  Trade 
Reports:  For  instance,  in  1825  the  price  of  flour  in  New  York 
ranged  from  $3.50  to  $4.25  a  barrel.  At  the  close  of  the 
following  five  years,  that  is  in  1830,  from  $4.75  to  $6  a  barrel. 
In  1835,  from  $5-37  to  $7.87  ;  and  in  1840,  from  $4.62  to  $6.50; 
and  in  1845,  from  $4.31  to  $7;  in  1850,  from  $4.93  to  $6.25  ; 
in  i860,  from  $4.25  to  $5.25  ;  in  1870,  from  $4.50  to  $6.05;  in 
1880,  from  $3-75  to  $5,7^  ;  in  1885,  from  $2.90  to  $3.70,  and 
in  1886,  from  $2.65  to  $3.50. 

If  we  turn  our  attention  to  the  article  of  fish,  with  its 
flavor  of  actuality,  v.'e  find  that  the  price  of  mackerel  in  1825 
was  from  $5  to  $5.75  per  barrel  In  1835,  it  was  from  $6  to 
$8.25;  in  1845,  from  $11.50  to  ;||)I4;  in  1855,  from  $18  to  $22  ; 
in  1865,  from  $15  to  $25  ;  in  1875,  trom  $7  to  $24;  in  1885. 
from  $14  to  $24;  and  in  i886,  from  $15  to  $29.  Compared  to 
the  farming  industry,  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  the  fishing 
industry  has  suffered.  The  range  of  prices  has  been  decidedly 
in  favor  of  the  fisherman. 

Let  us  consider  the  article  of  beef,  niess  beef.  The  range 
of  prices  by  the  barrel  has  been  abou^  the  same.  In  1825,  from 
$8  to  |io;  in  1835,  from  $8  to  $13.1:0.  In  1845  it  was  lower — 
from  $5.50  to  $9.75  ;  in  1855,  from  $8.25  to  $14 ;  in  F865,  which 
was  during  the  war,  it  ranged  from  $9  to  $14;  in  1875,  from 
$8  to  $10;  in  1885,  from  $ic  to  $)6;  and  in  1886,  from  $5  to 
$12.     The  range  of  price  in  hams  has  varied  buc  little. 

Corn  has  ranged  about  the  same  for  the  last  sixty  years. 


M0M,_  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

All  these  figures  relate  to  the  New  York  market.  The  opening 
of  the  great  commercial  channels — railroads  and  canals — has 
resulted  in  equalizing  prices,  so  that  to-day  it  is  no  longer 
profitable  to  burn  corn  in  the  great  West. 

In  wheat  the  range  of  prices  has  not  been  any  more 
favorable  to  the  farmer.  The  price  ranging  from  75  cents  $1.06 
in  1825  ;  from  83  to  9514  cents  in  1886. 

Mess  pork  ranged  from  $12  to  %  14.75  in  1825  ;  from  $9 
to  $14.50  in  1885,  and  $10  to  $12.50  in  1886. 

In  the  meantime,  farmers  and  producers  generally  have 
had  to  face  a  large  increase  in  the  rates  of  wages.  True,  on  the 
other  hand,  that  the  facilities  for  farming  have  also  greatly 
increased,  so  much  so  that  to-day  one  man  can  double  or  triple 
the  task  that  he  could  accomplish  formerly ;  thus  reducing  to  a 
minimum  the  apparent  increase  in  wages. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  certain  climateric  conditions 
affecting  the  farmer  may  come  to  pass  which  no  system  or  le- 
gislation can  control — the  rain  and  the  sunshine — his  crop  de- 
pends upvon  the  earlier  or  the  latter  rains.  Nor  can  any  system 
of  law  regulate  the  yield  of  land  in  case  of  a  drouth  or  a  super- 
abundance of  rain  ;  not  so  with  the  manufacturer,  because  the 
products  of  the  factory  can  be  controlled  ,  the  output  limited 
and  the  prices  determined.  The  competitors  of  the  American 
farmer  for  the  European  market  are  not  to  be  found  in  Cana- 
da, but  in  India  and  Russia.  During  the  past  year  Canada  pro- 
duced only  about  seven  per  cent,  of  the  wheat  grown  on  the 
North  American  continent. 

The  change  will  affect  undoubtedly  some  special  interests  ; 
but  I  do  not  believe  that  the  fishing  interest  will  be  seriously 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        20 j 

crippled  ;  nor  can  I  concede  that  the  fishing  fleet  which 
suppHes  the  army  or  the  militia  of  the  sea  will  suffer  from 
a  fair  competition  between  the  Canadians  and  the  New  Eng- 
land fishermen.  If,  under  such  conditions  and  with  fair  compe- 
tition, we  cannot  hold  our  own  on  sea  and  land,  the  fault  must 
be  attributed  to  conditions  which  are  not  to  be  righted  by  the 
levy  of  a  tax  increasing  the  price  of  every  codfish-ball  and  every 
mackerel  which  is  placed  upon  our  table. 

So  far  as  the  timber  interest  is  concerned  it  has  no  proper 
place  in  our  system  of  protection,  the  object  of  which  is  to 
build  up  industries.  But,  unfortunately  for  the  timber  industry 
of  this  country,  the  more  it  is  protected,  the  more  it  is  cherished, 
the  more  speedily  it  dies,  and  we  are  and  have  been  taxing 
ourselves  upon  every  shingle  we  use  and  every  beam  that  we 
require  to  construct  a  dwelling,  not  to  make  strong  an  industry 
that  will  flourish  and  grow,  and  furnish  a  more  ample  yield, 
but  simply  to  pay  a  bonus  to  certain  individuals  who  have 
prospered  beyond  measure,  and  without  any  corresponding 
benefit  to  the  great  mass  of  the  people  of  this  country  upon 
whom  the  tribute  is  levied. 

The  Canadian  forests  are  almost  limitless.  Their  timber  is 
rotting  and  going  to  waste,  while  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States  are  paying  ..;normous  prices  for  a  supply  to  construct 
houses  and  make  shingles  to  cover  their  heads,  and  thousands 
of  mechanics  are  idle  for  want  of  the  material — lumber — to 
enable  them  to  prosecute  their  calling.  Idle  men  on  both  sides 
of  the  line  is  the  direct  and  necessary  result  of  our  absurd  sys- 
tem. It  is  not  only  absurd,  but  an  outrage  upon  our  people, 
when  one  or  two  industries  are  permitted ,  nay,  authorized  for 


204  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

their  own  benefit,  to  tax  every  other  vocation,  trade  and  callin<j^ 
in  this  country,  and  thus  impose  needless  burthens.  The  time 
has  come  when  both  burdens  and  blessings  should  be  more 
equitably  distributed,  and  what  is  proposed  here  is  a  step  in 
that  very  direction. 

Now,  with  your  indulgence,  I  will  consider  for  a  moment 
the  objections  raised  by  our  friends  across  the  line  to  the  con- 
summation of  full  and  complete  reciprocity.  First,  they  object 
to  it  by  saying  that  such  a  system  would  be  destructive  to  the  ma- 
nufacturing interests  of  Canada.  Se-  1,  that  it  would  be  trea- 
son against  the  mother  country  ;  that  it  is,  in  fact,  the  essence 
of  disloyalty,  and  that  its  ultimate  result  would  be  annexation 
to  and  absorption  b)'  the  United  States.  Lastly,  it  is  urged 
that  the  mercantile  interests  of  Canada  would  suffer,  and  that 
drummers  from  New  York  and  Boston  would  absolutely  destroy 
the  trade  of  Montreal,  Quebec,  Toronto,  Hamilton  and  the 
other  leading  cities  of  the  Dominion  :  that  the  revenues  of 
Canada  would  be  lost. 

I  notice,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  a  le;?ding  journal  of  Toronto 
remarks  that  you  and  I  were  born  twenty-five  years  too  late 
for  all  purposes  of  reciprocity  and  commercial  union  between 
Canada  and  the  United  States  ;  and  in  the  same  article  it  is  sug- 
gested that  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  this  matter  might  have 
been  favorably  considered,  but  now  it  cannot  be.  Attention  is 
called  in  this  connection  to  the  fact  that  there  must  be  borne 
in  mind  "  the  expenditure  of  the  past  twenty  years  in  railroad 
construction,  in  acquiring  territory,  and  in  various  ways  having 
in  view  inter-provincial  trade  and  the  development  of  Canadian 
national  sentiment  through  closer  inter-provincial  commercia 


Ari,  Science,  Littrature,  and  Commerce.        20^ 

relations,  the  purpose  being  to  do  away  with  unnatural  barriers, 
and  allow  each  Province  to  cultivate  the  trade  adjacent  to  it." 
The  argument  submitted  by  the  learned  editor  defeats  itself. 
The  only  purpose  of  improving  the  railroad  system  of  either 
country,  and  of  improving  the  water-ways,  is  to  enable  the  produ- 
cers to  reach  the  markets  01  ♦.iSe  world.  If  they  serve  any  other 
proper  purpose  it  is  difficult  to  understand  what  it  is. 

It  is  also  suggested,  as  a  part  of  ti:e  criticism  of  the  policy 
of  reciprocity,  that  the  system  and  efforts  before  referred  to — 
improved  agencies  for  commercial  intercourse— were  made  to 
do  away  with  the  unnatural  barriers  between  the  Provinces 
and  to  cultivate  the  trade  adjacent  to  them.  This  is  pertinent, 
and  suggests  that  all  barriers  that  block  the  natural  highways 
of  trade  and  commerce  should  be  removed.  It  suggests  also 
that  it  is  natural  and  proper  to  cultivate  trade  which  is  near  at 
hand  rather  than  seek  distant  markets,  especially  when  better 
ones  lay  at  our  very  doors.  This  is  precisely  the  object  for 
which  patriots  on  both  sides  of  the  line,  in  Canada  and  the 
United  States,  are  struggling. 

The  point  made  in  the  same  article,  that  drummers  from 
New  York  and  Boston  would  destroy  the  mercantile  business 
of  Canada,  is  hardly  worth  considering.  The  argument  has 
been  met  and  answered  a  hundred  times,  and  the  experience 
of  every-day  life  absolutely  shows  how  fallacious  it  is.  If  the 
objections  mentioned  were  well  taken,  it  must  follow  that  there 
would  not  be  a  healthful  mercantile  business  carried  on  in  any 
of  the  cities  of  the  great  West.  Certainly  New  York  and  Boston 
would  have  no  advantages  over  Canadian  cities  that  they  do 
not  have  over  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  great  West.  To 


2o6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

pretend  that  the  rival  competition  of  New  York  and  Boston 
would  destoy  the  mercantile  interests  of  Canada  is  tantamount 
to  asserting  that  the  merchants  of  Canada  and  Canadian  enter- 
prise belong  to  a  former  century,  and  to  a  people  who  do  not 
possess  the  aggressive  energy  and  merit  to  compete  with  all 
comers  in  an  even  field  of  business  venture. 

It  will  be  remembered,  in  this  connection,  that  there  was 
at  one  time,  among  men  representing  important  eastern 
interests,  much  opposition  to  the  enlargement  of  the  facilities 
for  transportation  along  the  line  of  our  northern  frontier, 
whether  by  our  Canadian  friends  or  our  own  people  ;  it  being 
urged  that  it  would  open  up  a  line  of  travel,  a  commercial 
highway  if  you  please,  which  would  cripple  the  middle  and 
southern  lines  of  trade  and  commerce.  Time  has  demonstrated 
the  absolute  falsity  of  this  pretension  Men  have  only  to 
rightly  consider  the  elements  entering  into  the  solution  of 
these  various  problems  to  discover  that  the  law  of  compensation 
operates  everywhere. 

It  is  urged  by  certain  honorable  gentlemen  in  Canada,  and 
by  some  in  this  country,  as  an  objection  to  the  measure,  that 
the  move  in  the  direction  of  commercial  union  seeks  ultimately, 
and  has,  in  fact,  for  its  prime  object,  the  annexation  of  Canada 
to  the  United  States.  Do  gentlemen  believe  that  annexation 
would  follow  commercial  union?  If  so,  upon  what  do  they 
base  their  conclusion  .'*  Does  Canadian  prosperity  involve 
annexation  to  the  United  States?  Does  Canadian  prosperity 
involve  disloyalty  to  the  British  crown  ?  If  so,  why?  Is  there 
anything  in  the  relations  of  Canada  to  the  mother  country 
which  suggests  that  prosperity  can  only  come  to  Canadians  by 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2oy 

severing  their  connection  with  the  English  government  ?  It 
would  seem  that  gentlemen  who  insist  that  prosperity  means 
annexation  must  conclude  that  annexation  is  indispensable  to 
Canadian  prosperity  and  happiness.  I  do  not  agree  with  them. 
Canadians  are  satisfied  with  their  form  of  government,  and 
there  is  no  desire  on  this  side  to  change  it,  nor  yet  to  have 
them  adopt  any  one  phase  of  our  own.  We  can  work  out  our 
destinies  side  by  side.  That  in  many  respects,  we  must  and 
will  have  one  common  destiny,  I  have  no  doubt.  We  are 
one  people  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  so  far  as  Christian 
civilization  and  the  end  it  seeks  is  concerned  ;  and,  so  far  as 
the  things  to  be  attained  by  the  growth  and  extension  of  that 
civilization  require  a  common  purpose  and  a  common  effort, 
we  will,  whatever  the  respective  forms  of  government  under 
which  we  live,  be  one  people.  Commercial  union  is  in  no  wise 
inseparable  from  annexation.  One  does  not  involve  the  other, 
unless  the  fact  that  such  a  union  banishes  all  possibility  of 
attrition  between  the  two  countries  and  puts  the  seal  to  a  bond 
of  perpetual  peace  between  them,  can  be  construed  as  evidence 
of  a  desire  for  annexation. 

I  may  here  call  the  attention  of  the  honorable  members  of 
this  Club  to  a  few  facts  bearing  upon  the  history  of  Canada  and 
her  relations  to  Great  Britain.  I  have  already  alluded  to  it. 
Gentlemen,  of  course,  are  aware  that  the  tie  which  binds  us  to 
Canada  has  little  to  do  with  commerce — nor  do  I  speak  now  of 
political  relations  proper,  but  of  those  relations  that  grow  out  of 
kinship,  similar  language  and  similar  religion — all  of  which  have 
little  relationship  to  commercial  intercourse.  If  Canada  finds 
no  closer  tie  between  her  people  and  those  from  whom  they  are 


2o8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

descended  than  that  which  is  born  of  trade  and  commerce,  it  is 
a  matter  of  little  consequence  how  soon  those  ties  are  severed. 
The  history  of  Canada  and  of  the  United  States,  so  far  as 
England  is  concerned,  is  identical.  The  record  of  the  history 
of  Canada  during  the  last  half  century  discloses  the  fact  that 
her  complaints  against  the  mother  country  have  been  similar  in 
character  to  those  which  compelled  the  American  colonies  to 
petition  for  redress  of  grievances.  Canada  complained  of  the 
navigation  laws  so  far  as  they  were  applied  to  her.  Those  laws 
were  modified  or  absolutely  changed.  She  insisted  that  it  was 
her  right  to  have  her  internal  policy  regulated  by  represen- 
tatives chosen  by  the  people  who  were  to  be  affected  by  that 
policy.  That  privilege  was  also  conceded.  She  demanded, 
furthermore,  the  right  to  collect  and  disburse  her  revenue 
according  to  her  own  ideas  of  internal  economy.  That  also  was 
conceded  her.  She  asked,  in  effect,  that  she  should  be 
sovereign,  within  her  borders,  upon  all  matters  pertaining  to 
the  civil  administration.  That  too  was  conceded,  and  these 
just  concessions — barring  the  mere  matter  of  kinship,  the  ties 
of  common  ancestry,  of  a  common  religion  if  you  please,  and 
of  those  ties  which  naturally  grow  from  similar  institutions, 
and,  as  I  believe,  from  a  common  destiny — have  above  all 
else  preserved  to  this  day,  among  Canadians,  the  spirit  of 
perfect  loyalty  toward  Great  Britain. 

The  fear  that  Canada  will  be  absorbed  by  the  United 
States,  or  *hat  she  will  lose  her  independence  and  dignity  as  a 
sovereign  nation,  is  absurd  in  itself.  Whether  she  shall  stand 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  great,  rich  and  independent, 
will  depend  upon  the  character  of  her  people  and  the  manner 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        20g 

in  which  she  utilizes  her  vast  resources.     Her  mineral  wealth 
invites  the  most  desirable  immigration.     Her  vast  forests  are 
only  awaiting  for  hardy  pioneers  of  enterprising  spirits  to  pursue 
the  vasious  avocations  dependent  upon  a  supply  of  timber 
The  same  is  true  of  her  other  resources. 

I  observe  also  that  it  is  asserted  by  some  writers  in  the 
Canadian  press  that  an  arrangement,  such  as  the  one  contem- 
plated, would  be  in  the  nature  of  an  alliance  offensive  and 
defensive  with  the  United  States  as  against  Great  Britain. 
This  is  so  far  from  being  the  case  that  the  assertion  must  be 
regarded  as  an  appeal  to  prejudices  rather  than  an  appeal  to 
the  intelligent  judgment  of  our  Canadian  friends. 

It  is  not  for  the  mere  advantage  which  is  to  be  computed 
by  dollars  and  cents  that,  as  an  American  citizen,  I  urge  full 
reciprocity  with  Canada.  It  is  to  secure,  not  a  bond  of 
political  union,  but  a  bond  which  will  keep  the  English- 
speaking  race  one  people  now  and  for  all  times  to  come,  and 
enable  it  to  fulfill  its  mission  by  developing  the  highest  and 
best  form  of  civilization  the  world  has  ever  known. 

The  resolution  adopted  by  the  gentlemen  who  met  in 
Toronto,  asserts :  "  That  unrestricted  reciprocity  in  manufat 
tured  goods  would  be  a  serious  blow  at  the  commercial 
integrity  of  the  Dominion,  and  would  result  disastrously  tc 
their  manufacturing  and  farming  industries  and  other  financial 
and  commercial  interests."  The  farmers,  at  least,  had  spoken 
for  themselves,  and  their  resolution  was  certainly  the  out- 
growth of  intelligent  investigation  and  a  just  appreciation  o' 
what  was  essential  to  create  prosperous  conditions.  I  doubt 
whether  the  honorable  gentlemen  who  adopted  that  resolution 


2IO  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

represent  the  sentiments  of  a  very  large  portion  of  those  among 
the  people  of  Canada  who,  in  the  last  resort,  are  to  bear  the 
burthens  of  what  is  dubbed  the  N.  P.,  in  other  words  the 
National  Policy  of  Protection. 

Did  it  ever  occur  to  our  manufacturing  friends  in  Toronto 
that  the  resources  at  their  command,  which  are  almost  illimi- 
table, must  attract  in  their  midst  that  activity  and  energy  which, 
after  all,  makes  a  country  great  and  prosperous?  That  such 
would  be  the  final  result  all  history  abundantly  attests.  Possibly, 
Mr.  Chairman,  if  reciprocity  had  obtained  twenty-five  years 
ago,  we  would  not  have  be  honored  by  your  presence  and  mas- 
terly entreprise  in  New  York.  In  fact,  this  Club  might  not 
have  been  in  existence.  The  energy  which  you  have  put  forth 
here  would  have  found  such  profitable  employment  on  the 
other  side  of  the  line  that  you  would  not  have  come  among 
us ;  but  your  friendship  for  us,  and  ours  for  you,  would  not 
have  been  a  whit  lessened  by  the  fact  of  the  prosperity  which 
waited  upon  each  country. 

Whatever  may  be  said  to  the  contrary,  I  take  it  from  the 
discussions  in  the  English  Parliament  that  England  will  not 
feel  greatly  disturbed  over  a  commercial  union  between  Canada 
and  the  United  States.  Able  discussions  in  that  body,  as  to  the 
effect  of  protective  tariffs,  indicate  that  it  is  the  opinion  of 
English  statesmen  that  whatever  advantage  may  accrue  to  the 
protected  country,  if  any,  no  disavantage  will  result  to  England. 
Such  is  the  statement  made  by  Mr.  Chamberlain,  and  his  state- 
ment is  supported  by  figures,  cited  in  his  speech  of  August  12, 
1881,  in  reply  to  an  Address  from  the  throne  which  urged 
retaliatory  measures  against  nations  exacting  high  duties  on 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        211 

goods  imported  from  England.  I  have  here  the  speech  of  Mr. 
Chamberlain,  and  have  been  interested  in  observing  how 
thoroughly  his  conclusions  are  sustained  by  the  statistics  he 
cites.    I  regret  that  I  have  not  time  to  read  portions  of  it. 

I  think  careful  investigation  will  demonstrate  that  indus- 
tries which  in  Canada  should  need  protection  against  European 
competition  would;  in  the  United  States,  require  an  equal 
protection  ;  and  that  a  protective  system  which  in  its  operation 
would  be  of  benefit  to  Canada  would  be  equally  beneficial  to 
the  United  States,  and  vice  versa.  Duties  would,  of  course, 
in  a  large  proportion,  be  levied  according  to  the  amount  of 
revenue  necessary,  the  protection  in  a  large  mesure  would  be 
merely  incidental. 

It  is  suggested  by  certain  gentlemen,  and  I  speak  of  this 
because  I  am  addressing  Canadians,  that  the  proper  thing 
would  be  a  reciprocal  arrangement  between  England  and 
Canada  through  which  the  former  should  discriminate  against  the 
farm  produce  of  other  countries.  This  would  be  a  very  remark- 
able proceeding  indeed,  as  it  would  add  to  the  price  of  food 
on  every  laborer's  table  in  England  in  order  to  obtain  a  market 
for  the  output  of  British  factories.  Outside  of  the  indefen- 
sibility of  such  a  scheme,  it  is  unlikely  that  England  would 
consent  to  tax  the  bread  and  potatoes  and  the  meat  of  her 
workmen  merely  to  attain  the  possible  advantage  of  a  new 
market  in  which  to  sell  the  products  of  her  shops. 

So  far  as  the  agricultural  interests  of  this  country  and 
Canada  are  concerned,  it  must  be  conceded  that  they  are  not 
susceptible  to  secure  a  hearing  with  the  same  ease  as  the 
manufacturers,  the   merchants   and  financiers  who   are  more 


212  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

immediately  connected  with  trade  and  commerce.  The 
cities  are  centres  of  political  influence,  and  also  centres  of  trade 
and  financial  power ;  therefore,  those  interests,  that  are  the 
competitors  of  agriculture,  not  only  have  more  ready  access  to 
the  public  ear,  but  they  have  morever  the  sympathies  of  those 
who  command  the  most  ready  means  for  controlling  the 
current  of  public  thought.  » 

I  would  call  the  attention  of  the  speakers  at  the  late 
manufacturers'  convention  at  Toronto,  and  the  editors  who 
echo  the  sentiments  that  have  been  expressed  there,  that  the 
prosperity  they  would  secure  to  Canada  by  defeating  any 
attempt  at  reciprocity,  unless  it  be  one-sided,  would  be  a  pros- 
perity of  such  a  character  that  it  could  not  be  shared  in 
generally  by  the  mass  of  the  people  on  either  side  of  the  line. 

The  time  has  come  when  the  burthens  and  blessings  incident 
to  national  development  and  healthful  growth  must,  as  nearly 
as  possible,  be  shared  equally  by  all ;  and  I  think  we  may 
rejoice  in  the  fact  that  the  farmers,  artisans  and  producers  in 
Canada  and  the  United  States  will  no  longer,  without  rebuke, 
permit  those  who  alone  profit  by  a  protective  system  which 
does  not  deal  with  and  correct  unequal  conditions,  to  assume 
to  represent  and  speak  for  all  who  have  a  right  to  be  heard 
upon  the  subject. 

It  is  impossible  to  see  how  any  Canadian  or  American 
interest  could  suffer  by  the  establishment  of  an  active  and 
healthful  trade  between  the  two  nations.  It  is  equally  difficult 
to  see  how  a  growing  tide,  swelling  every  artery  of  commerce, 
reaching  from  every  part  of  Canada  to  the  markets  of  the 
United  States,  and  from  every  part  of  the  producing  sections 


Art,  Science,  Literature ,  and  Commerce.        21  j 

of  the  Ui.ited  States  to  Canada,  and  meeting  the  demands  of 
the  people,  could  injure  any  business  interest  fit  to  survive. 
To  my  mind  at  least,  such  an  assertion  is  absurd,  and  I  greatly 
doubt  if  it  has  its  origin  in  a  patriotic  love  of  country.  There 
is  about  it  a  savor,  if  not  a  positive  suggestion,  of  selfish 
interest. 

I  note  what  is  said  touching  the  destructive  influence  that 
free  international  commerce  would  have  upon  the  fisheries  and 
some  other  industries.  It  is  asserted  with  great  force,  and 
seemingly  the  assertion  is  sustained  by  statistics,  that  free 
fisheries  mean  the  absolute  destruction  of  American  fishing 
interests. 

In  reply,  I  have  to  state  that  if  the  American  fisherman, 
when  placed  upon  equal  terms,  is  unable  to  compete  with 
the  fisherman  of  Canada,  it  does  not  prove  the  former's 
inferiority  in  any  respect,  nor  his  inability  to  accomplish  what 
the  Canadian,  under  similar  circumstances,  can  accomplish. 
It  only  proves  that  there  is  something  wrong  in  our  policy  or 
in  some  part  of  our  governmental  machinery ;  it  proves  that 
oppression  in  that  business  drives  from  its  arena  Yankee  com- 
petition hopeless  and  crushed,  and  that  the  remedy  must  be 
sought  in  some  other  direction,  as  it  assuredly  cannot  be 
found  in  driving  such  competition  from  our  midst  by  oppressive 
legislation. 

If  we  are  unable  to  hold  our  own  in  the  field  of  open, 
free  and  equal  competition,  we  had  better  improve  our  stock. 
I  am  for  America  and  American  institutions  and  interests,  first, 
last  and  all  the  time,  but  that  point  is  not  at  stake  here.  The 
question   is  how  shall  we  build   up  every  American  interest 


214  iVi?z£/  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

worth  cherishing,  and  how  shall  we  avoid  to  build  up  one 
interest  at  the  expense  of  the  other,  since  we  are  aware  that 
otherwise  our  industrial  growth  would  be  neither  healthful  or 
permanent  ? 

If  any  industry  in  the  United  States  cannot  survive  the 
competition  of  our  immediate  neighbors,  only  divided  from  them 
as  we  are  by  an  imaginary  line,  the  cause  for  such  failure 
on  our  part  must  be  sought  in  some  unwise  feature  of  our 
governmental  policy,  and  not  in  the  superior  merit  of  our 
competitors  in  that  industry  or  enterprise.  Unless  I  am  in 
this  respect  convicted  of  error,  I  am  unwilling  to  admit 
inequality  on  our  part  with  any  nation  in  the  world  competing 
with  us  under  circumstances  substantially  the  same,  and  I 
would  be  ashamed  of  the  Canadian  who  would  not  make  a 
similar  assertion  concerning  his  countrymen. 

I  have  already  commented  upon  the  proposition  which 
pretends  that  it  is  the  mission  of  the  government  to  provide 
such  artificial  conditions  that  it  shall  be  as  profitable  to  culti- 
vate the  impoverished  soil  of  New  England  as  it  is  that  of 
the  rich  valleys  of  the  Mohawk,  or  of  the  Scioto  and  the 
Wabash. 

In  that  respect  I  have  only  to  say  that  the  moment  the 
government  will  make  such  an  attempt,  I  will  earnestly  favor 
revolution.  In  this  country  we  are  not  wanting  in  soil  suffi- 
ciently rich  to  feed  the  world,  and  those  sections  which 
are  not  fit  for  profitable  cultivation  can  be  either  abandoned, 
enriched  by  private  enterprise,  or  used  for  other  purposes  than 
farming. 

Our  transportation   facilities  are  sufficient  to  feed  those 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        21^ 

localities  where  the  manufacturing  industries  are  located.  The 
law  of  compensation  applies.  If  New  England  finds  farming 
unprofitable,  she  can  find  profitable  employment  in  various 
kinds  of  manufacturing.  Her  people,  if  not  producers  of 
corn  and  wheat,  are  nevertheless  producers  of  plows,  hoes, 
trace-chains,  and  thousands  of  other  necessary  articles.  The 
genius  of  her  sons  has  brought  them  riches,  in  fact,  they  are 
the  bankers  of  the  United  States,  and  eastern  thrift  has  been 
so  great  that  the  capitalists  of  that  section  hold  mortgages  on 
a  large  percentage  of  the  farms  in  the  West.  I  trust  that  if  the 
time  has  not  yet  come,  that  it  is  not  far  distant,  when  the  govern- 
ment will  be  engaged  in  some  other  mission  than  that  of 
multiplying  blessings  for  the  few  through  an  inequitable  dis- 
tribution of  the  public  burthens. 

This  question  should  be  considered  by  every  board  of 
trade,  every  chamber  of  commerce,  every  agricultural  associa- 
tion, every  society  composed  of  manufacturers  and  producers 
generally. 

Congress  has  and  will  have  no  oflficiai  judgment  upon  it. 
The  boards  and  associations  I  have  mentioned  must  do  the 
legislating — Congress  is  only  a  sounding-board,  a  cave  of  echoes, 
an  assemblage  of  unpatented  graphophones,  repeating  what  is 
talked  into  them  by  the  people. 

Congress  is  engaged  for  the  most  part  in  formulating  into 
law  the  popular  will,  and  by  no  means  do  I  think  the  term 
"  popular  will  "  to  be  synonymous  with  intelligent  public  judg- 
ment. As  individuals,  Congressmen  have  intelligent  convic- 
tions ;  they  are  capable,  conscientious  men  ;  but  it  is  not  their 
province  to  attempt  to  form  or  direct  the  public  mind.     Their 


2i6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History. 

mission  is  to  respond  to  the  public  will.  A  Congressman's  duty- 
is  to  agree  with  his  constituents  —  this  is  the  essence  of  his 
political  life  —and  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  he  will  consciously 
commit  political  suicide. 

It  nai^urally  follows  that  you  are  to  determine  for  your- 
selves an-i  the  country  whether  the  immense  volume  of  our 
trade  sh:ili!  be  dammed  up  and  rolled  back  upon  ourselves, 
and  whether  a  system  which  smacks  of  a  primitive  period  and 
a  ruder  and  less  advanced  civilization,  shall  continue  to  dwarf 
our  enterprise  and  retard  our  development. 


*^    ■  ,  -hf' 


OO'JOOOOOOOO  OOO  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  OOOOOOOO  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

o 
o 
o 

o 
o 
o 


onoooc>c>ocooccoooocoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOoooocoooooy 


THE    MINERAL    RESOURCES  OF  CANADA. 


JOHN  Mc  DOUG  A  LI.. 


(      Read  before  the  Canadian  Club 
(  of  New  York. 


HOSE    who    are    familiar    with    this 
subject  know  its  vastness,  and  how 
impossible  it  will  be  to  do  it  justice 
in  the  limited  time  at  our  disposal. 
We  can  only  skim  over  it,  and  the 
references  made  to  it  will  necessarily 
be  imperfect.     We  can  only  give  a 
passing  glance  at  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal minerals,  and  to  present  them 
in  such  a  way  as  will  impress  you  with  the  fact  that  Canada 
has  the  possession  of  untold  wealth  in  them,  and  only  waiting 
for  the  means  for  their  development. 


2i8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

The  Laurentian  range  of  rocks  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  and 
running  inland  through  the  Provinces  of  New  Brunswick, 
Quebec  and  Ontario,  are  of  the  oldest  known  formation,  and 
they  contain  almost  all  the  known  minerals.  On  the  Pacific  coast 
and  throughout  British  Columbia  and  a  portion  of  the  North- 
west Territories,  the  rocks  are  similar  to  those  of  Nevada  and 
Colorado.  That  immense  territory  presents  to  capitalists  and 
miners  a  field  for  their  enterprise,  acknowledged  to  be,  without 
any  exception,  the  finest  in  the  world ;  and  no  country  is 
endowed  with  such  magnificent  waterways  ;  these,  in  addition  to 
our  canals,  and  over  I2,(XX)  miles  of  railways,  give  easy  access 
to  nearly  every  part  of  the  country,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific.  Mining  in  Canada  has  been  carried  on  only  to  a 
limited  extent  thus  far ;  lately,  however,  a  great  interest  has 
been  made  manifest  by  the  formation  of  new  companies  with 
large  capital.  We  are  satisfied,  from  what  we  know  of  existing 
companies,  to  predict  good  dividends  for  all  investments  made 
for  the  development  of  mines. 

I  will  touch  on  different  minerals  in  alphabetical  order, 
and  will  begin  by  drawing  your  attention  first  to — 

APATITE. 

Apatite  is  known  in  commerce  as  "  Phosphates."  It  is 
generally  of  a  greenish  color  and  of  a  crystaline  formation,  and  is 
found  in  great  abundance  in  the  Provinces  of  Ontario  and 
Quebec.  Apatite  is  used  for  the  mannfacture  of  phosphoric 
acid  and  phosphorus,  and  enters  largely  into  the  composition 
of  certain  porcelains.    It  is,  besides,  very  extensively  used  as  a 


Ariy  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2ig 

fertilizer  of  the  soil.  Phosphates  are  among  the  minerals  most 
essential  to  vegetation,  and  are  removed  from  the  earth  in  large 
quantities  by  growing  crops.  To  render  it  fit  for  agricultural 
purposes,  it  is  converted  into  a  soluble  salt,  which  is  known  as 
superphosphate  of  lime. 

The  apatites  of  Canada  are  the  purest  met  with,  analysis 
of  cargoes  running  as  high  as  37  to  39  per  cent,  of  phosphoric 
acid,  equivalent  to  from  80  to  86  per  cent,  phosphate  of  lime  ; 
the  percentage  shown  is  higher  than  that  of  any  other  countiy. 
The  mines  in  the  valley  of  the  Ottawa  River  have  become 
famous,  and  are  extensively  worked.  This  industry  ranks  now 
as  a  most  important  and  profitable  one.  The  output  for  the 
year  1885  was  about  24,000  tons. 

ASBESTOS. 

Asbestos  is  the  commercial  name  of  a  variety  of  the  horn- 
blende family  of  minerals,  of  which  the  chemical  composition 
is  chiefly  silica,  magnesia,  alumina  and  ferrous  oxide.  It  is  a 
fibrous  mineral,  noted  for  its  power  to  resist  fire  and  acids. 

Other  uses  to  which  it  is  put  are  fire-proof  cements  and 
putty,  for  joints,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  fire  and  acid-proof 
lumps,  blocks  and  bricks.  The  ordinary  gas  fire  is  familiar  to 
every  one,  and  it  will  suffice  to  point  out  that  asbestos  enters 
largely  into  the  composition  of  the  artificial  fuel  upon  which 
the  success  of  the  fire  in  a  great  measure  depends.  This  mi- 
neral presents  a  very  wide  field  for  the  inventive  genius  to  open 
up  a  new  process  to  dress  it,  so  that  it  can  be  woven  into  fa- 
brics of  every  kind  as  easily  as  with  cotton  and  wool,  as  well 


220  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History^ 

as  for  many  other  purposes  for  which  it  might  be  made  suita- 
ble. It  is  largely  mined  in  the  eastern  townships  of  the  Pro- 
vince of  Quebec. 

ANTIMONY. 

Antimony  is  mined  in  the  Province  of  New  Brunswick. 
The  Surveyor-General  of  that  Province  reported  some  years 
ago,  that  the  mining  companies  there  should  be  able  to 
produce  antimony  at  such  a  low  rate,  and  in  such  quantities, 
as  would  place  the  Province  among  the  great  antimony- 
producing  countries  of  the  wold.  Its  analysis  varies  from 
6i  to  69  per  cent.  It  occurs  also  in  the  Province  of  Quebec, 
Megantic  County,   both  in  the  native  state  and  as  sulphurate. 

BARYTES. 

Barytes,  or  heavy  spar  of  fine  quality,  is  found  in  very 
great  abundance  in  the  Provinces  of  Ontario,  Quebec  and 
Nova  Scotia.  Very  Utile  has  been  done  yet  in  mining  this 
material  except  in  Nova  Scotia. 

BITUMINOUS   SHALES. 

Extensive  work?  were  operated  in  Nova  Scotia  for  the 
manufacture  of  oils  from  shale,  but  had  to  be  abandoned  in 
consequence  of  the  heavy  import  duties  imposed  by  the 
Un,ited  States.  The  yield  was  about  60  gallons  of  oil  from 
1  ton  ;  they  were  also  capable  of  yielding  7,500  cubic  feet  of 
gas  per  ton. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        221 

COAL. 

The  coal  area  of  Canada  is  very  extensive — an  approxi- 
mate estimate  places  it  at  97,000  square  miles.  The  Provinces 
of  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  and  British  Columbia,  and 
the  Northwest  Territories,  yield  bituminous  coal  of  excellent 
quality  for  steam,  coking,  and  for  gas.  Anthracite  coal  is 
found  in  British  Columbia  and  in  the  Northwest  Territories, 
The  consumption  of  coal  in  Canada  is  about  5,000,000  tons 
per  annum,  of  which  our  mines  supply  only  3,000,000  tons, 
the  balance  of  2,000,000  is  imported. 

A  strange  mineral,  named  albertite,  was  discovered  at  the 
Albert  Mine,  about  the  year  1850.  It  was  regarded  by  some 
as  a  true  coal,  and  by  others  as  a  variety  of  jet,  and  by  others 
again,  as  related  to  asphaltum,  because  it  resembles  it  in 
appearance,  being  very  black,  brittle,  and  lustrous,  and  desti- 
tute of  structure.  It  differs  from  asphaltum  in  fusibility, 
and  in  its  relation  to  solvents  ;  it  differs  also  from  true  coal  in 
being  of  one  quality  throughout,  and  contains  no  trace  of 
vegetable  tissues  ;  its  mode  of  occurrence  is  that  of  a  vein,  and 
not  that  of  a  true  bed.  The  mineral  has  been  exported  to  the 
United  States  for  the  manufacture  of  oils  and  of  gas  ;  it  is 
capable  of  yielding  100  gallons  of  crude  oil  per  ton,  and  of 
14,500  cubic  feet  of  gas,  of  superior  illuminating  power,  per  ton. 

COPPER. 

Copper  is  stated  to  constitute  one  of  the  most  important 
of   the   mineral   treasures  of   the   Dominion,  and   is   said   to 


222  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

be  as  widely  distributed  in  nature  as  iron.  It  is  found 
over  vast  tracts  of  country  in  Ontario,  in  the  eastern  town- 
ships of  Quebec,  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  British  Columbia  ;  traces 
of  it  are  met  with  in  New  Brunswick.  The  richest  producing 
section  is  along  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  where  it 
frequently  occurs  in  the  form  of  native  copper,  in  large  masses. 
The  next  in  importance  are  the  deposits  of  the  eastern  town- 
ships, in  Quebec.  The  copper  ore  here  is  similar  in  its  structure 
and  occurrence  to  those  of  Norway  and  Sweden,  and  is  met 
with  chiefly  as  a  sulphurate  in  great  abundance.  The  Geolo- 
gical Survey  Report  of  1866  enumerated  the  extraordinary 
number  of  557  locations  in  the  eastern  townships.  Companies 
were  formed  and  mines  were  opened.  Operations  have  been 
suspended  by  some,  and  others  are  working  with  varied  results. 
Mining  operations,  of  a  somewhat  extensive  character,  are  in 
progress  at  Sydney,  Cape  Breton,  where  an  assay  made  yielded 
34  oz.  of  silver,  1-5  oz.  of  gold,  and  20  >^  per  cent,  of  copper, 
per  ton  of  ore. 

GOLD. 

Gold  is  found  in  all  the  Provinces,  except  Prince  Edward 
Island  and  New  Brunswick.  Gold  mining  is  one  of  the  princi- 
pal sources  of  wealth  of  the  Provinces  of  Nova  Scotia  and  Bri- 
tish Columbia.  The  gold  fields  of  Nova  Scotia  are  esti- 
mated to  cover  an  area  of  from  6,000  to  7,000  square  miles  ; 
they  contain  bands  of  gold-bearing  rocks,  with  veins  or  leads 
varying  in  thickness  from  a  fraction  of  an  inch  to  several  feet. 
Quartz  mining  has  been  carried  on  successfully,  and  gold,  to 
the  amount  of  $8,000,000,  has  been  taken  out  in  this  Province, 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        22j 

from  the  year  1859  up  to  and  including  1885.  All  the  gold 
produced  in  British  Columbia  has  been  from  placer  mines, 
which  are  worked  along  the  banks  and  beds  of  the  rivers  and 
creeks  at  low  water.  The  main  auriferous  belt  runs  from  south 
east  to  northwest ;  the  principal  localities  are  Kootenay,  Big 
Bend,  Cariboo,  Omineca  and  Cassiar,  where  at  present  there  is 
considerable  excitement  in  gold  mining;  they  have  yielded, 
during  the  above  mentioned  period  of  time,  about  $50,000,000  ; 
this  should  indicate  that  gold  in  immense  quantities  must 
exist  up  in  the  mountains ;  there  are,  however,  differences 
of  opinion  about  this.  Several  companies  have  lately  been 
formed,  with  large  capital,  to  carry  on  the  business  of  quartz 
mining  on  an  extensive  scale.  We  learn  from  the  latest 
reports  that  the  prospects  of  success  are  not  only  sure,  but 
exceedingly  bright. 

f  GRAPHITE. 

Graphite  is  sometimes  called  plumbago  or  black-lead. 
These  are  misnomers,  arising  from  the  erroneous  idea  that 
lead  '^nters  into  its  composition.  Graphite  is  recognized  as  a 
native  form  of  carbon.  Geologists  are  at  variance  concerning 
its  probable  origin.  There  are  two  distinct  varieties  :  one  is 
fine-grained  and  the  other  is  foliated.  Graphitiferous  rocks  of 
the  Laurentian  system  are  widely  spread  throughout  Canada. 
The  graphite  of  these  rocks  usually  occurs  in  beds  and  seams, 
varying  in  thickness  from  a  few  inches  to  three  feet.  The 
analysis  of  the  Canadian  product  is  almost  identical  with  that 
of  Ceylon  (the  finest  in  the  world).  Its  freeness  from  lime 
makes  it  very  valuable  for  making  crucibles.     Canada  contains 


224  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

an  almost  inexhaustible  quantity,  scattered  throughout  the 
Provinces  of  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  Quebec,  and 
Ontario.     Very  little  has  been  done  yet  in  working  the  mines. 

'    '  GYPSUM. 

The  Provinces  of  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick  and 
Ontario,  and  the  Northwest  Territories,  yield  gypsum  of  a 
very  fine  quality,  particularly  Nova  Scotia,  where  it  is  found 
in  connection  with  the  lower  carboniferous  limestones.  There 
are  two  kinds,  white  and  blue,  the  former  being  best  adapted 
for  making  plaster  of  Paris,  and  the  latter  for  making  land 
plaster  for  agricultural  purposes.  Considerable  quantities  are 
shipped  to  the  United  States,  besides  what  is  required  for 
home  consumption.  87,644  tons  were  exported  from  Nova 
Scotia  to  the  United  States  in  1885,  and  an  average  of  about 
5,000  tons  are  shipped  annually  from  the  Grand  River  district, 
in  Ontario,  to  the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York. 


IRON. 


Iron  in  unlimited  quantities  is  found  in  all  the  Provinces 
and  Territories  of  the  Dominion;  the  country  is  pre-eminently 
rich  in  the  ores  of  iron  of  every  kind,  and  of  the  highest  grade, 
equaling  the  Swedish  and  Russian  in  quality,  and  they  are 
adapted  for  every  purpose  that  iron  and  steel  are  used  for. 
Nova  Scotia  is  the  richest  in  iron  ores,  and  they  are  in  close 
proximity  to  almost  unlimited  quantities  of  coal.  New 
Brunswick   has   extensive    deposits   of   iron   ores    in  Carlton 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        225 

County,  and  boj[^  ores  in  Queens,  Sunbury,  Restigonche,  and 
Northumberland  counties.  In  the  Province  of  Quebec,  near 
the  City  of  Ottawa,  there  is  a  hill  of  iron  which  has  been  esti- 
mated to  contain  i cx),ooo,ocxD  tons.  The  Haycock  Mine  is 
situated  eight  miles  north-east  of  the  city,  and  it  has  been 
estimated  that  it  could  yield  an  output  of  100  tons  of  ore  per 
day  for  150  years,  without  being  exhausted.  Very  valuable 
deposits  of  iron  and  bog  ores  are  found  in  many  other  parts  of 
the  Province.  The  Province  of  Ontario  has  enormous  deposits 
of  iron  ores  of  a  superior  quality  ;  many  rich  beds  have  been 
found  in  Manitoba  and  in  the  Northwest  Territories.  British 
Columbia  is  exceedingly  rich  in  iron  ores;  many  of  the  deposits 
are  found  along  the  coast  and  islands,  lying  side  by  side  with 
bituminous  coal  of  good  quality. 

There  is  no  other  metal  of  so  much  importance  to  the 
material  progress  and  prosperity  of  any  country  as  iron,  and 
when  we  consider  the  enormous  amount  we  are  importing,  viz.: 
an  average  of  $20,000,000  per  annum  since  Confederation, 
making  an  aggregate  for  20  years  of  $400,000,000,  it  is  high 
time  for  us  not  only  to  consider,  but  to  commence  to  make  all 
the  iron  and  steel  goods  we  need.  We  possess  12,000  miles  of 
railways  and  are  increasing  our  mileage  from  year  to  year ;  these 
railroads  would  in  themselves  consume  in  large  quantities,  in 
addition  to  our  requirements  in  other  directions.  Then,  con- 
sider the  bearing  the  iron  industrj'  would  have  on  other 
industries,  which  would  come  into  existence  in  connection 
with  it ;  the  benefits  from  it  directly  or  indirectly  would  be 
incalculable.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  chartered  companies 
organized  to  work  mines  and  to  manufacture  iron  and  steel 


226  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

who  are  waiting  their  opportunity  to  commence  operations. 
A  syndicate  of  wealthy  and  iniluential  Americans,  being  satis- 
fied that  the  Iron  deposits  of  Canada  are  the  richest  in  the 
world,  and  that  they  can  be  worked  to  advantage,  have  recently 
organized  themselves  into  a  company  with  a  capital  of 
$  I  o,ocx),ooo,  for  the  purpose  of  working  iron  mines  in  Canada. 
We  wish  them  every  success,  and  sincerely  hope  that  they  will 
be  well  rewarded  ;  their  movement  in  this  direction  may  give 
courage  for  the  investment  of  many  millions  more  by  others 
for  the  same  and  kindred  purposes.  The  development  of  our 
coal  and  iron  industries  will  do  more  to  enrich  our  country 
than  anything  else  we  know  of  could  do. 

V      ,  LEAD. 

Galena  or  sulphite  of  lead  is  found  in  varying  quantities 
in  all  the  Provinces  except  Prince  Edward  Island.  The  coun- 
ties of  Frontenac  and  Hastings,  in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  are 
especially  designated  as  a  lead  mining  region,  and  the  Fron- 
tenac Lead  Mining  Company  is  prepared  now  to  carry  on 
extensive  operations  north  of  Kingston.  Lead  mining,  so  far, 
has  not  been  carried  on  to  any  extent,  but  it  is  expected  to 
become  one  of  considerable  importance  in  the  near  future,  as 
the  facilities  for  transportation,  which  was  the  principal  draw- 
back in  the  past,  have  been  very  much  improved  by  the  building 
of  railroads  adjacent  to  many  of  the  deposits.  The  uses  of 
lead  are  so  varied ,  and  used  in  such  large  quantities  in 
connection  with  the  industrials  arts,  that  the  opening  up  and 
working  of  the  mines  would  make  this  another  very  important 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Coninifrce.        22j 

industry  of  our  country.  It  is  only  lately  that  it  has  become 
known  that  the  Kootenay  Country,  in  British  Columbia,  is 
enormously  rich  in  lead  ores,  the  ore  showing  as  much  as 
i5^oz.  of  silver  to  the  ton.  It  cannot  be  mined  to  pay  until 
a  railway  is  built  into  that  country  to  give  them  an  outlet.  I 
understand  that  a  charter  has  been  obtained  for  one,  and  that 
it  will  soon  be  built.  When  that  is  done,  we  may  hear  of 
results  from  there  equaling  if  not  surpassing  those  of  Leadville 
and  the  Black  Hills  country.  '     r  ■ 

,;:.-  MANGANESK.    •■  ---■■;/'■.*  V  ,a  ■:;.;:',.'.>;:;.,- \, 

The  ores  of  manganese  are  found  in  all  the  Provinces 
except  in  British  Columbia,  and  are  mined  to  a  considerable 
extent  in  Nova  Scotia  and  in  New  Brunswick  ;  their  value  is 
estimated  on  the  percentage  of  binoxide  which  they  contain. 
They  are  used  extensively  in  manufacturing  bleaching  pow- 
ders and  flint  glass,  and  as  a  siccative  in  paints,  oils  and 
varnishes. 

MICA. 

Mica  is  one  of  the  characteristic  minerals  of  the  Lauren- 
tian  rocks.  In  these  rocks  are  found  the  white  ,  brown  and 
black  varieties,  of  which  the  former  is  the  most  valuable.  Work- 
able deposits  of  the  white  mica  are  found  from  Labrador  on 
the  east,  to  Lake  of  the  Woods  on  the  west,  whilst  the  Ottawa 
Valley  is  a  huge  storehouse  of  mica,  in  which  the  black  predo- 
minates. Its  use  has  been  principally  for  lanterns  and  stoves 
on  account  of  its  transparency. 


228  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 


PETROLEUM. 

■  -  This  mineral  product  is  also  known  as  kerosene  and  coal 
oil.  It  has  been  noticed  in  all  the  Provinces  except  in  Prince 
Edward  Island.  Its  origin  has  been  a  subjet  of  much  specula- 
tion among  geologists,  and  is  still  an  unsettled  question,  the 
prevalent  and  most  widely  accepted  notion  is,  that  it  is  due  to 
a  very  slow  decomposition  of  organic  remains,  animal  or  vege- 
table, or  both  combined.  The  only  area  of  production  at  pres- 
ent lies  between  Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Huron.  The  petroleum 
bearing  region  is  overlaid  with  continuous  beds  of  sand  and 
clay,  which  sometimes  hold  the  oil  rising  from  the  underlying 
limestones  of  the  corniforous  formation,  which  neems  to  be  its 
true  source. 

Our  petroleum  oil  industries  employ  a  capital  of 
$10,000,000;  the  production  of  the  wells  is  about  6,000,000 
barrels  of  crude  oil  per  annum,  which  is  manufactured  into  all 
kinds  of  illuminating  and  lubricating  oils  and  greases,  benzine^ 
vaseline,  paraflfine  wax,  etc.,  etc. 

There  is  considerable  excitement  existing  at  present  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Montreal,  in  consequence  of  the  discovery  of 
natural  gas  at  Longue  Pointe.  A  joint  stock  company  has  been 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  prospecting  in  that  neighborhood  ; 
they  are  at  work  now,  and  have  drilled  to  a  depth  of  1,300  feet ; 
the  average  daily  progress  is  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet.  The  rapi- 
dity of  the  work,  of  course,  depends  upon  the  character  of  the 
resistance  offered  in  boring  down  through  the  earth  ;  they  ex- 
pect to  find  the  gas  at  a  depth  of  about  2,000  feet.     There  is 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        22g 

an  almost  intolerable  smell  of  gas  coming  from  the  shaft  which 
they  are  sinking. 


SALT. 


This  very  important  substance  is  found  in  the  Provinces 
of  Nova  Scotia,  Ontano,  British  Columbia,  and  in  the  North- 
west Territories,  but  it  is  only  prepared  for  commerce  in 
Ontario. 

It  was  first  discovered  at  Goderich,  by  parties  who  were 
boring  for  petroleum,  the  boring  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  a 
bed  of  rock  salt  30  feet  thick  at  a  depth  of  964  feet  ;  the 
boring  was  continued  at  a  depth  of  1,010  feet,  when  hard  rock 
was  met  with.  A  pure  saturated  brine  was  obtained  at  this 
depth. 

The  principal  wells  are  at  Goderich,  Clinton,  Seaforth  and 
Kincardine.  The  brine  is  of  great  strength,  and  of  remarkable 
purity.  American  chemists,  who  have  examined  Canadian 
salt,  unhesitatingly  declare  that  it  is  of  finer  quality  than  that 
obtained  from  the  great  American  salt  area  of  New  York 
State.  Some  distance  up  the  Slave  River  in  the  Northwest 
Territories,  a  number  of  brine  springs  are  found  scattered  over 
a  '.vide  plain,  and  large  accumulations  of  salt  are  deposited 
around  them.  It  is  said  that  these  accumulations  are  of 
unknown  depth  and  extent,  and  it  is  supposed  that  there  are 
vast  deposits  underneath  the  surface.  Another  salt  region  is 
reported  to  be  at  about  half  way  between  Great  Slave  and 
Great  Bear  Lakes,  which  takes  about  half  a  day  to  cross. 


2 JO  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

■'•-•v":.:'''^::-' '-'■■■',;■'•'■:  silver. 

The  ores  of  silver  are  found  in  all  the  Provinces,  except 
in  Prince  Edward  Island.  There  are,  however,  no  workings  to 
speak  of,  except;  those  carried  on  along  the  northern  shore  of 
Lake  Superior,  including  the  famous  Silver  Islet  Mine;  the 
latter  was  originally  a  rock  whose  greatest  diameter  was  75 
feet,  and  its  greatest  height  above  the  lake  was  eight  feet ;  it 
is  situated  about  half  a  mile  from  the  main-land.  The  vein 
was  discovered  in  1868,  and  was  worked  by  the  Montreal  Min- 
ing Company  for  two  years  ;  they  disposed  of  it,  and  107,000 
acres  of  mineral  lands,  to  an  American  Company.  Since  then, 
the  mine  has  been  steadily  worked,  and  extends  now  to  a  depth 
of  over  550  feet  below  the  level  of  the  lake  :  it  is  yielding  a  re- 
munerative return,  and  it  is  estimated  that  over  $3,000,000 
worth  of  Silver  has  been  taken  out  of  it  since  it  was  opened. 
The  most  remarkable  discoveries  of  silver  ore  on  record  were 
made  last  March,  in  the  Thunder  Bay  District,  near  Port 
Arthur.  Mr.  Roland,  C.  E.,  reported  that  the  Beaver  Mine 
has  sliown,  by  actual  measurement,  upwards  of  $750,000  worth 
of  solid  silver  in  sight,  and  that  another  bonanza  has  been 
struck  at  Silver  Mountain,  containing  solid  black  silver  in  im- 
mense quantities.  Such  rich  exposures  of  silver  ores  are  un- 
precedented. 

All  the  lead  ores  of  the  Province  of  Quebec  contain  silver 
yielding  from  I  >^  oz.  to  65  oz.  to  the  ton  ;  and  all  the  lead 
ores  found  in  Nova  Scotia  yield  from  3  oz.  to  100  oz.  to 
the  ton. 

British  Columbia  seems  from  latest  reports  to  be  develop- 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2ji 

ing  in  minerals  of  every  kind,  and  some  of  its  showings  indi- 
cate that  it  is  going  to  excel  in  silver,  and  some  of  the  assays 
made  have  shown  as  high  as  $600  to  the  ton  of  ore.  The  sil- 
ver ores  on  Kootenay  Lake,  and  on  the  Upper  Columbia  Ri- 
ver, are  very  plentiful.  There  is  every  indication  to  lead  to  the 
belief  that  very  rich  silver  mines  will  be  opened  there  as  soon 
as  the  means  of  transportation  are  completed.  .    , 

As  time  will  not  permit  us  to  enter  into  the  particulars  of 
all  the  minerals,  I  will  merely  say  that  we  have  in  addition  to 
those  already  meiitioned,  arsenic,  bismuth,  cobalt,  lignite,  mo- 
lybdenum, nickel,  pyrites,  lithographic  stone,  oxides  of  iron  of 
every  kind,  suitable  for  paint,  materials  for  building,  flagging, 
paving  and  slating;  stone  suitable  for  grindstones  and  millstones, 
marbles  of  various  qualities,  white,  black,  brown,  gray-mottled, 
variegated,  spotted  and  green  ;  white  quartz  and  silicious  sand- 
stone, for  making  glass ;  soapstone,  emery,  infusorial  earths, 
and  precious  stones.  The  early  French  settitTs  sent  home  con- 
siderable quantities  of  the  latter,  and  one  vl  v  handsome  ame- 
thyst was  divided  into  two  and  placed  in  tht  crown  of  one  of 
the  French  kings.  The  precious  stones  are  agates,  amethysts, 
jasper,  garnets,  topaz,  bloodstone  and  opal. 

I  have  thus  skimmed  over  an  extensive  area  in  minerals, 
but  have  scarcely  touched  on  any  points  relating  to  them,  ex- 
cept those  that  were  necessary  to  impress  you  with  the  richness 
of  their  quality,  the  vastness  of  the  deposits,  and  the  wealth 
which  they  contain.  Canada  has  unbounded  resources  in  all 
kinds  of  minerals. 

Let  me  call  your  attention  for  a  moment  before  closing  to 
a  mechanical  device  called  "The  Cyclone  Pulverizer,"  a  machine 


2J2  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

which  is  destined  to  play  a  most  important  part  in  the  reduc- 
tion of  minerals,  which  require  to  be  either  pulverized  or  fiber- 
ized  ;  it  can  do  either  at  much  less  cost,  and  to  better  advantage 
in  every  way,  than  any  other  machine  yet  invented,  and  espe- 
cially is  this  the  case  in  the  reduction  of  gold  quartz,  mica, 
plumbago  and  phosphates,  and  in  fiberizing  asbestos.  It  has 
stood  the  severest  tests  on  all  kinds  of  materials  which  required 
to  be  pulverized  or  fiberized.  A  test  was  recently  made  on 
phosphates  which  contained  a  large  percentage  of  mica,  render- 
ing it  almost  valueless  for  exportation.  The  mica  was  separa- 
ted from  the  phosphates  without  any  difficulty  in  the  process 
of  pulverization,  and  its  analysis,  which  was  only  30  per  cent, 
phosphoric  acid,  equivalent  to  (^  per  cent,  phosphate  of  lime, 
was  raised  to  34 >^  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid,  equivalent  to  75  >^ 
per  cent,  phosphate  of  lime.  It  's  needless  to  say  that  such  a 
showing  will  be  of  very  great  value  to  phosphate  miners. 
Statements  as  interesting  can  be  made  in  reference  to  tests 
made  with  it  on  other  materials  as  well  as  on  minerals. 


^  ^-A-/T^a^ 


AN  ARTIST'S  EXPERIENCE  IN  THE 
CANADIAN   ROCKIES. 


JOHN  A.  FRASER,  R.   C.  A. 


\" 


Read  before  the  Canadian  Club 
of  New  York. 


HAT  I  am  very  much  pleased  and 
gratified  to  meet  this  briUiant  gather- 
ing of  the  members  of  the  Ckib 
and  their  friends,  no  one  can  doubt. 
I  assure  you,  moreover,  that  it  is 
very  pleasant  to  recognize  so  many 
known  and  loved  faces  for  "  Auld 
Lang-Syne." 

Most  of  you  are  aware  that   all 
the  pictures  here  exhibited  were  painted  on  the  spot.     I  mean 


-mifr^i 

'4 

i 

^■^ 

a 

1 

^b 

H 

1 

M 

-34  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

by  that  that  they  were  begun  and  finished,  as  far  as  you  see 
them,  out  of  doors  and  in  view  of  the  subjects  or  objects 
depicted,  j  Referring  here  to  his  magnificent  collection  of  paint- 
ings then  on  exhibitiou\ 

And  although,  condescendingly  judging  from  the  results 
attained,  it  may  seem  to  you  to  have  been  rather  easy  of  accom- 
plishment— -and  you  will  be  surprised  when  told  that  like  many 
another  undertaking  such  as  bridging  the  East  River  and 
d'Sgi^g  ^  canal  through  the  Isthmus  of  Suez,  it  was  after 
all  not  so  easy  as  it  seems. 

I  may  tell  you  that  five  artists,  all  "  good  and  true  men," 
were  at  work  at  the  same  time  in  these  Canadian  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. I  know  one  whose  eyes  wandered  confusedly  for 
many  days,  and  whose  hands  hung  helplessly  in  the  presence 
of  those  peaks  over  which  the  clouds,  with  their  ever-changing 
lights  and  shades,  travelled  ceaselessly.  For  many  days,  I  say, 
wondering  what  to  do  and  where  to  begin. 

Some  had  brought  mighty  canvases  which  were  eventually 
covered  with  nothing,  while  others  were  covered  with  a  good 
deal  too  much.  Some,  when  a  subject  impressed  them  as 
worthy  of  their  brush,  would  commence  it,  but  almost  at  the 
outset  the  effect  would  change,  and  the  attempt  would  be 
abandoned  for  something  else,  which,  oftener  than  otherwise, 
would  result  in  the  same  uniform  failure. 

But  there  was  one  among  us  who,  indeed,  was  a  grand 
example  of  patient  persistence.  Although  thi;  smoke  of  eight 
hundred  miles  of  forest  fires  completely  hid  f''om  view  every 
object  more  than  fifty  yards  distant,  it  made  nc  difference  to 
him.     He  had  begun  his  pictures  under  happier  auspices  and 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2j§ 

he  faithfully  repaired,  day  in  and  day  out,  to  his  chosen  grounds, 
and  "  fired  away." 

That  is  one  way  of  painting  on  the  spot  and  from  nature. 
Yes,  quite  a  long  way  from  her  too ! 

I  am  no  political  economist,  therefore  I  do  not  propose  to 
tire  you  with  anything  about  the  exhaustless  capabilities  for 
development  of  this  new  country.  I  don't  know  anything 
about  such  matters ;  however,  I  have  a  sort  of  stupid  theory, 
unprofessional  you  know,  that  the  valley  and  delta  of  the 
Fraser  River  are  alone  capable  of  supporting  a  population 
as  large  as  that  of  Great  Britain. 

I  can  only  tell  you  in  a  disconnected  way  some  of  the 
things  that  impressed  me  as  an  artist. 

I  left  Montreal  on  the  8th  of  June  fully  equipped  to 
carry  on  my  "  plan  of  campaign.  "  I  had  an  abundance  of 
painting  material,  almost  enough  to  paint  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains from  base  to  summit.  I  took  a  great  deal  with  me  because 
I  knew  I  could  not  replenish  my  stock  there.  But  I 
brought  some  of  it  back,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that 
it  would  have  been  better  if  I  hadn't  used  so  much.  You 
haven't  seen  all  I  did,  you  know. 

I  will  spare  you  some  of  the  details  about  the  trip  from 
Owen  Sound  to  Port  Arthur.  We  made  it  in  one  of  the 
Company's  splendid  steamers  plying  acros:'.  the  inland  ocean 
called  Lake  Superior.  Soon  after  leaving  .Sault  St.  Marie  we 
were  for  hours  enveloped  in  fogs  which  alternated  with 
rains  ;  consequently,  the  scenery  could  not  impress  me,  only 
when  we  came  suddenly  in  sight  of  immense  lumps  of 
majestic  ugliness  called  Thunder  Cape  and  its   compeer  Pie 


2j6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Island.  I  say  lumps  of  majestic  ugliness,  for  althoufifh  nothing 
else  but  enormous  basaltic  spurs,  they  are  majestic  and 
imposing  notwithstanding,  as  they  rise  from  the  waste  of 
waters  like  lions  coucliants.  At  Port  Arthur,  with  the  words 
"  All  aboard  !  "  the  fun  began. 

We  commenced  to  size  up  and  sort  our  company,  and 
choose  our  companions. 

There  was  naturally  a  predominance  of  the  Scotch  Ontario 
element : — the  man  with  the  shrewd,  rather  suspicious  gray  eyes, 
not  very  grey,  for  he  could  not  afford  to  let  too  much  out ; 
eyes  well  set  back  under  the  square  brow,  the  strong  lines  indi- 
cative of  thrift,  perseverance  and  strong  settled  "  releegious 
opeenions  ";  the  hard,  stern  mouth,  and  the  fine  well-pronounced 
freckles  on  the  sole-leather  skin,  all  of  which  characteristics 
proved  him  the  honest  farmer  going  West  to  "better  his 
condeetion  and  tae  mak  muckle  or  mair  for  the  wife  and  weans." 

These  thrifty  Scotchmen  kept  pretty  much  to  themselves, 
they  did  not  "  give  themselves  away.  ' 

Of  course,  the  joyous,  buoyant  drummer  was  there  in  force, 
as  he  is  everywhere,  and  I  was  greatly  struck  with  the  bound- 
less wealth  of  the  great  Northwest,  because  most  of  those  gen- 
tlemen represented  houses  interested  in  the  manufacture  of 
receptacles  for  the  said  wealth — their  business  in  life  being  to  sell 
safes ;  and,  as  they  were  very  numerous,  the  inference  that  money 
was  plenty  in  the  Northwest  was  a  fair  one  at  that  distance, 
although  I  must  confess  my  disappointment  on  reaching 
Winnipeg,  in  not  observing  any  more  profuse  prodigality 
there  than  in  New  York  or  Boston. 

Of  course,  the  people  I  have  described,  though  charming 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2jj 

in  their  way,  did  not  attract  me  very  powerfully.  But  I  soon 
found  pleasant  traveling  companions  in  a  gentleman  and  his 
wife  from  Baltimore  ;  a  Scotch  gentleman  from  Glasgow,  a  right 
good  fellow  of  a  fine  type,  alert,  intelligent  and  genial,  though  he 
did  have  the  misfortune  to  be  a  "Laird,"  and  a  distinguished 
clergyman,  also  from  Glasgow,  who,  twenty-five  years  ago,  had 
been  sent  out  as  a  missionary  amongst  the  miners  of  Cariboo. 
He  had  built  a  church  in  Victoria,  but  had  left  it  eighteen  years 
since,  and  was  returning  to  see  old  friends  and  scenes.  All  these 
people  were  like  myself,  making  their  first  trip  through  to  the 
Pacific. 

And  here,  though  she  may  never  know  of  it,  I  must  record 
the  thankfulness  of  myself  and  friends  to  the  brave  and 
gentle  lady  of  our  party.  1  have  not  words  to  express  my  esti- 
mation of  the  uniform  and  unvarying  kindliness,  patience  and 
sweet  temper  which  she  showed  during  the  eight  days  of  that 
journey,  which  was  made  in  all  sorts  of  cars  known  to  men  who 
deal  in  rolling  stock — in  box-cars,  flat-cars,  cabooses  and  cars 
of  every  description,  except,  of  course,  horse-cars ;  sometimes 
with  no  better  sleeping  accommodations  than  a  cushion  and  a 
blanket.  Our  fare  was  not  as  varied  as  our  transportation;  some- 
times we  sat  at  table-d'hote,  in  canvas  hotels  whose  flamboyant 
signs  bore  such  inscriptions  as  The  Windsor,  The  Continental, 
The  Brunswick,  Grand  Pacific,  etc.,  where  the  menu  consisted 
always  of  leather  beefsteak  well-covered  with  bad  butter,  boiled 
potatoes  of  the  description  known  as  "  waxy,"  followed  by  pie, 
the  whole  washed  down  with  boiled  tea,  and  this  without  inter- 
mission. 

Through  the  dust  and   heat,  and  clouds  of  bloodthirsty 


2j8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

mosquitoes  when  passing  through  the  dry  belt.  Yes,  through 
all  the  discomforts  incidental  to  that  first  trip  of  three  thousand 
miles,  and  up  to  the  day  that  we  left  her  in  the  fine  hotel  at  Vic- 
toria, she  was  the  same  gentle,  good  and  exceedingly  beautiful 
lady.  The  love  of  those  two  people  too  was  wonderful,  inas- 
much as  they  had  been  three  years  married. 

You  all  know  more  about  Winnipeg  than  I  do,  but  here 
I  want  to  acknowledge  the  royal  manner  in  which  Mr.  Bedson, 
Mr.  Scarth  and  the  Manitoba  Club  entertained  us. 

We  went  with  Mr.  Bedson  to  see  his  herds  of  buffaloes  at 
Stony  Mountain  and  joined  in  the  exciting  chase — in  a  buggy. 
The  hunt  did  not  impress  me  as  being  as  dangerous  as  it  was 
uncomfortable,  for  three  of  us  occupied  but  one  seat.  From 
Winnipeg  our  journey  for  eight  hundred  miles  was  quite 
uninteresting  to  me.  The  country,  from  my  point  of  view, 
is  wanting  in  the  elements  of  the  picturesque.  When  I  say 
this  I  know  that  I  am  treading  on  delicate  ground,  for  many 
of  my  brother  artists  hold  that  there  is  nothing  so  unpaint- 
able  as  those  subjects  which,  until  recently,  have  been  consid- 
ered the  richest  in  the  pictorial  element,  and  which  are  also 
considered  as  such  by  many  whose  names  have  at  least  the 
respectability  of  time  and  permanence. 

But  I  am  not  sure  that  those  among  my  brothers  of  the 
brush  who  have  learnt  to  look  at  our  glorious  American 
scenery  through  the  spectacles  of  France  and  Holland,  might 
not  find  these  eight  hundred  miles  of  prairies,  coulees,  and  cut 
hills  deeply  interesting. 

It  was  at  Calgary,  the  lovely  little  town  on  the  beautiful 
Bow  River,  that  early  on  a  summer's  morning  we  got  a  first  sight 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2j<^ 

of  the  Rockies,  fully  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  away.  The  sky 
was  clear  overhead,  and  in  the  far  distant  horizon  lay  these 
mountains.  Clouds  they  appeared  to  the  untrained  vision,  and, 
indeed,  as  the  eye  gradually  became  able  to  distinguish  and 
separate  the  forms,  the  poet's  words, 

"  The  clouds  like  rocks  and  the  rocks  like  clouds," 

was  acknowledged  as  the  best  po.csible  description. 

From  Calgary  to  the  surrnit  of  the  Rockies,  on  the 
eastern  slope,  is  a  panorama  such  as  cannot  be  described  in 
any  way,  either  by  pen  or  brush.  For  about  one  hundred  miles  it 
is  constant,  ever-growing  and  increasing  in  astonishment  and  sur- 
prise at  its  beauty  and  splendor.  From  the  entrance  of  the  Gap 
at  Canmore,  and  up,  up,  ever  up,  past  peak  after  peak,  glaciers 
innumerable,  over  madly-roaring  boiling  torrents,  toying  with 
and  playfully  flinging  here  and  there  on  their  snowy  crests,  trees, 
some  of  them  large  enough  to  build  a  barn.  Still  up  and  up,  un- 
til seven  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level  your  train  crawls 
past  the  base  of  Mount  Stephen,  its  peak  piercing  the  clouds  a 
mile  still  higher  up,  and  with  head  swimming  and  eyes  and 
neck  aching  and  your  heart  thumping  against  your  ribs,  you 
cry,  enough !  and  prepare  for  the  descent  of  the  Kicking 
Horse  Pass — and — dinner. 

This  pass  of  the  Kicking  Horse  is,  I  am  told,  the  steepest 
railway  grade  in  the  world,  being  four  and  a  half  feet  in  the 
hundred  for  about  nine  miles.  I  don't  know  whether  this  is 
so  or  not,  but  I  do  know  that  I  was  compelled  to  travel  on  foot 
and  alone,  weighted  down  with  my  painting  materials  and  a 
heavy  gun  for  some  weeks,  sometimes  as  much  as  ten  or  twelve 


2^0  New  Papers  071  Canadian  History,       .  ;         ^ 

miles  a  day,  and  in  all  sorts  of  weather,  and  doing  my  work 

besides.  ':■■:.:::'■■ '-'\--  - ;.; "',;■■'•■;/:;;;>  ;■■■•■■-:  ;>  ,\ 

Through  the  valley  of  the  Kicking  Horse,  past  the  peaks 
of  Lanchvill,  a  word  or  name  which  I  am  proud  to  say  that  I 
can  pronounce  properly,  thanks  to  the  persistent  and  continuous 
schooling  of  my  friend  "  the  Laird."  It  is  a  Gaelic  word,  and 
signifies  the  end  of  the  valley.     So,  all's  well  that  ends  well ! 

Through  this  valley,  amidst  such  magnificence  of  form 
and  colors,  on  we  go,  till  we  begin  to  realize  that  one  can 
have  too  much  of  a  good  thing.  Presently,  we  commence  to 
climb  again,  and  the  Rogers  Pass,  at  the  summit  of  the  Selkirks, 
is  reached.  Here  it  was  that  my  pride  was  hurt,  that  ! 
realized  how  very  little  I  knew. 

We  were  heartily  tired  ;  in  fact,  we  had  reached  lie 
ultimate  point  of  disgust  at  the  regularity  of  the  simple  bill  of 
fare. 

Beefsteak  is  a  popular  and  wholesome  article  of  food  ;  but 
beefsteak  three  times  a  day  for  many  days,  you  can  easily  see 
must  become  monotonous. 

We  all  grumbled,  but  a  member  of  our  party  went  off  in 
search  of  variety.  That  town,  up  in  the  Alpine  snows,  was  a 
curious  and  interesting  sight.  You  tramped  it  from  the  cars 
over  a  path  cut  through  many  feet  of  snow,  the  remains  of  an 
avalanche  which  had  some  weeks  before  buried  carr,  shanties, 
tracks  and  everything  else  from  sight.  Subsequently  I  learnt 
that  later  on,  in  the  summer,  when  the  snows  at  this  level 
were  ail  melted,  several  freight  cars  were  found  still  covered 
with  snow  in  a  little  ravine  sheltered  from  the  sun. 

Well !  the  seeker  passed  the  g^and  hotels — few  of  which 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        241 

exceeded  twelve  by  twenty  feet,  and  always  constructed  of  tent 
cloth — till  he  saw  an  immense  sign  bearing  the  words  *'  General 
Store."  To  the  "  General  Store,"  which  seemed  completely 
hidden  by  the  sign  and  a  splendid  specimen  of  Celtic  manhood, 
the  seeker  hied,  and  addressed  the  large  Celt  thus  :  "  Good 
Mr.  Cap't,  havn't  you  got  a  red  herring  and  a    nice   loaf   of 

bread,  and  some  fair  butter  that  a  fel "    Here  the  seeker 

lost  his  self-possession,  and  his  buoyancy  received  a  rude  shock, 
for  the  grand  Celt,  looking  down  with  superb  contempt,  said 
in  that  rich,  beautiful  accent  that  some  of  us  know  and  love: 
"A  red  herrin',  at  the  top  o'  the  roakies !  Weel,  weel,  hadn't 
ye  betther  gang  till  the  north  pole  and  speer  for  plums." 

I  saw  much  of  this  grand  Scotch-Canadian  element,  and 
wherever  I  met  it,  whether  in  the  lumber  shanties  on  the 
Columbia  or  F'raser,  on  the  ranches  in  the  dry  belt,  or  in  the 
warehouses,  counting-rooms,  or  government  offices  on  the  Pacific 
Road,  it  was  always  the  same  as  it  is  in  this  great  country,  where 
the  Scotchman  and  the  Scotch-Canadian  man  count  among  its 
best  citizens,  self-respecting,  courageous,  never  blustering, 
honest  and  just,  shrewd  and  faithful,  cautious  and  kind,  and 
always  intelligent  representatives.  That  was  the  sort  of  Scotch- 
man I  met  wherever  I  went  from  Montreal  to  Vancouver's 
Island.  • 

That  is  the  kind  of  men  who  conceived  and  planned  and 
built  this  great  railroad.  I  am  thankful  that  I  have  some 
Scotch  blood  in  my  veins,  it  may  enable  me  to  do  something 
some  day. 

Oh,  if  my  friend  Eagan  had  only  had  a  Scotch  name ! 

I  found  the  Pacific  coast  moist.  It  rained  every  day,  and  I 


242  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

was  told  it  was  unusual ;  but  when  I  looked  at  the  purple  and 
white  bells  of  the  fox-gloves  growing  on  stalks  six  and  seven 
feet  high';  at  the  gigantic  bushes  of  the  bonnie  yellow  broom  ; 
at  the  gowans  at  my  feet ;  at  the  long  ropes  of  moss  festoon- 
ing the  mighty  Douglas  firs,  and  also  at  the  rich  mosses  in 
the  woods,  three  and  four  feet  deep,  I  could  not  help  thinking 
of  my  frequent  experience  as  an  angler.  It  has  often  occurred  to 
me — has  it  not  to  any  of  you  ? — that  upon  arriving  at  a  spot 
celebrated  for  its  "  immense  strings,"  to  be  informed  that  this  is 
not  a  very  good  time,  last  month  was  the  right  time,  and  about 
the  middle  of  next  month  will  be  a  good  time.  In  fact,  it  has 
frequently  happened  that  any  time  is  better  than  the  present. 
You  can  draw  your  own  inferences,  but  fish  ! 

If  the  climate  of  the  coast  is  damp,  a  very  different 
story  must  be  told  of  the  country  about  one  hundred  miles 
east.  Inland,  along  the  valley  of  the  Fraser,  beginning  at 
Lytton,  where  the  dry  belt  commences,  rain  never  falls.  Still, 
by  means  of  irrigation,  using  the  melting  snows  from  the 
mountains,  it  is  a  wonderfully  fertile  land. 

I  saw  much  that  was  beautiful  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
of  a  beauty  that  was  new  and  strange, — golden  brown  hillsides 
and  flat  table-lands,  benches  so-called,  and  blue  skies  ;  but,  owing 
to  the  fact  that  several  hundreds  of  miles  of  forests  were  ablaze, 
the  thick  smoke  prevented  me  doing  much  with  my  pencil. 
I  remained  there  for  some  weeks  and  heard  a  great  deal  about 
the  valuable  gold  washing,  and  mining,  and  cattle  raising,  and 
other  industries  peculiar  to  the  region.  Nobody  there  seems 
to  think  of  doing  manual  labor  but  the  despised  and  hated 
Chinaman,  and  he  is  there  in  strength  ;  a  patient,  well-behaved, 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        24J 

industrious,  cleanly,  sober  laborer — and  a  very  bad  cook.  That 
country  could  never  have  been  developed  without  him. 

I  was  much  amused  at  a  sign  that  I  saw  in  Kamloops, 
which  is  about  the  driest  part  of  the  dry  belt,  the  words  were 
very  suggestive  :  "Week  Lung,  labor  done  here." 

I  have  said  nothing  yet  about  the  salmon,  which  annually, 
millions  upon  millions,  crowd  and  crush  up  the  Fraser  in 
their  blind  instinct  to  deposit  their  eggs.  They  know  no 
obstacles,  they  never  feed  at  this  period,  they  only  press  on 
up  the  big   river   and    out  of  it  into  the  smaller  tributaries. 

When  I  reached  Victoria,  I  wandered  through  the  town 
with  the  minister,  and  we  saw  in  a  shop  about  a  dozen  very 
handsome  salmon,  the  first  we  had  seen. 

I  asked  the  price  of  the  largest  fish,  that  would  weigh  about 
thirty-five  pounds.  Of  course,  I  meant  the  price  per  pound,  as 
I  would  in  an  eastern  market,  and  on  being  told  four  bits, 
fifty  cents,  thought  it  high,  and  said  so.  The  fishmonger  said 
he  knew  it  was  high,  'but  the  salmon  had  not  yet  begun  to 
run  ;  in  a  few  days  such  fish  would  sell  for  two  bits  each.  From 
which  I  gathered  that  fifty  cents  was  the  price  of  the  fish  in 
question — head,  tail  and  all. 

You  all  remember  with  pain  the  dreadful  accident  on  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge  and  its  cause.  You  know  that,  in  the  pro- 
cession, one  or  two  people  missed  their  footing  descending  the 
steps.  Those  behind  them,  in  their  impatience,  pressed  on,  and 
the  confusion  increased.  Those  still  further  behind  got  anxious 
to  know  the  cause  of  the  delay,  and  pressed  on.  This  was  re- 
peated still  further  back,  and  you  know  as  a  result  that  several 
poor  creatures  were  killed,  crushed  and  crowded  even   past  re- 


2^^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

cognition.  Well,  I  am  going  to  tell  you  the  fish  story.  I  have 
told  it  before,  and  my  auditors  as  a  rule  have  made  no  com- 
ment, but  they  have  taken  their  hats,  and  departed  rather 
more  abruptly  than  politely. 

I  crossed  a  river  walking  upon  salmon.  Do  you  understand 
my  reference  to  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  catastrophe  ? 

The  advance  guard  of  fish  had  become  blocked  in  some 
way,  and  with  just  the  same  amount  of  senselessness — but  what 
better  could  you  expect  of  a  poor  fish — had  choked  the  stream. 
They  were  all  dead,  and  were  jammed  there  in  millions,  for 
weeks,  in  many  parts  of  the  Fraser,  which  is  a  mighty  turbulent 
muddy  stream,  fed  by  melting  snows,  and  draining  a  vast  area 
of  forest  land,  one  could  not  throw  a  pebble  into  the  river  with- 
out hitting  a  salmon  ;  the  water  was  literally  full  of  them. 

I  stopped,  when  making  the  studies  on  the  lower  Fraser, 
with  an  Ontario  family,  who  were  not  fish  eaters  ;  but  I  induced 
them  to  get  some  for  me.  and  I  enjoyed  for  several  days  some 
fine  sturgeon. 

I  used  to  see  these  fish,  weighing  from  two  to  sixteen 
hundred  pounds,  leaping  many  feet  in  the  bright  sunlight,  clear 
of  the  river,  in  sport  or  in  quest  of  prey.  One  evening,  my 
host  took  me  to  see  the  sturgeon  portions  of  which  I  had  been 
eating,  and  much  to  my  amazement  I  found  it  tethered,  so  *o 
speak,  by  means  of  a  stout  rope  to  a  wharf,  the  whole  of  one 
side  had  been  cut  away.  He  had  begun  to  carve  upon  the 
other  side,  and  the  fish  was  alive  and  apparently  doing  very 
well.     He  couldn't  have  been  happy,  though  ? 

While  talking  of  fish,  I  was  surprised  at  the  presence  of 
only  a  few  trout  in  the  glacier  streams,  and  can  only  account 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        24^ 

for  it  by  supposing  that  during  the  winter  anchor-ice  must 
freeze  most  of  them.  It  cannot  be  that  the  water  is  normally 
too  cold,  as  has  been  suggested,  else  why  do  we  find  any. 

Referring  again  to  the  Scotchmen  :  at  Donald,  we,  that  is 
Minister  "  Laird  "  and  myself,  came  across  a  philosopher.  You 
will  say  that  the  heart  of  the  Rockies  is  the  last  place  in  the 
world  to  find  such  a  being,  but  there  he  was  keeping  a  trackman's 
boarding-house.  He  had  come  from  Cape  Breton,  and  had  early 
in  life  married  a  lass  from  Prince  Edward  Island.  By  a  freak  of 
fortune  he  had  become  heir  to  a  large  and  valuable  estate  in 
Scotland.  But,  after  having  taken  the  necessary  steps  to  secure 
it,  he  still  hesitated  at  going  to  the  old  land  to  take  possession. 
"  Ye  see,"  he  said,  "  it  will  be  a  gude  thing  for  the  bairns,  for 
they  can  be  properly  educated  and  take  their  proper  poseetion 
becomingly  ;  but  for  me,  I've  lived  this  rough  life  so  long  that 
the  gran  folks  wad  just  laugh  at  me.  Wull  ye  no  hae  a 
glass  ?" 

Oh !  that  was  a  merry  night  we  passed  as  his  guests, 
Minister  "  Laird  "  and  I.  There  was  a  violin  virtuoso  from 
the  Shanty  who  supplied  music  for  a  very  hearty  reel,  in  which 
the  "  Laird  "  joined.  A  pawky  lad  from  Cape  Breton  sang 
several  songs  in  the  Gaelic  tongue,  and  an  auld  man  with  long 
gray  hair  took  off  his  bonnet,  and  bowing  to  the  Minister,  sang 
in  a  voice  to  which  tremulosity  added  sweetness,  that  gem  of 
Burns',  "The  Banks  and  Braes  o'  Bonny  Doon."  He  warbled 
the  old  love-song,  sitting  half  in  the  gloom,  the  light  of  a 
common  old-fashioned  candle  illuminating  his  beautiful  silver 
locks  like  ar  aureole,  while  the  night-wind  sighed  far  up  in  the 
great  pines  and  the  mighty  river  roared  in  muffled  tones. 


2^6 


New  Papers  on  Canadian  History. 


God  knows  where  the  old  man's  memory  travelled  to,  but 
we  all  felt  the  meaning  of  the  song  as  we  never  felt  it  before. 
And  we  were  the  better  for  it. 

Then,  after  singing  "Auld  Lang-Syne,"  the  meeting  came 
to  a  close,  just  the  same  as  this  paper  does ! 


0/'\''¥Doi/.^/ke, 


CANADA    FIRST. 


REV.  GEORGE  GRANT,  D.  D., 
Principal  Queen's  University. 


Rem/  before  the    Canadian    Club 
of  New    Yotk. 


HAT  is  meant  by  the  phrase  "  Canada 
First?"  It  means  that  Canada — though 
still  nominally  and  officially  in  the  col- 
onial position — is  really  a  nation,  and 
therefore  that  its  interests  and  honor 
must  be  regarded  by  all  true  Canadians 
as  first  or  supreme. 

In  1867,  the  Act  of  Confederation 
•  constituted   the  Maritime    Provinces 

and  the  old  Upper  Canada  and  Lower  Canada  into  the  new 
Dominion.  Immediately  thereafter  societies  sprung  into  exist- 
ence in  different  centres  that  took  the  name  of  "  Canada  First." 
These  societies  did  not  last  long.  I  do  not  know  of  one  that  is  in 


2^8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 


existence  at  the  present  time.  Their  fate  too  has  been  held  up  as 
a  proof  that  there  is  no  national  sentiment  in  Canada,  and  that 
Canada  is  not  a  nation.  Is  such  a  fact  sufficient  proof,  or 
even  the  slightest  proof  of  any  such  thing  ?  Certainly  not.  It  is 
only  a  proof  that  a  club  or  society,  if  it  is  to  exist,  must  have 
some  definite  object  to  accomplish.  Any  one  may  at  any 
time  be  called  upon  to  testify  his  affection  or  his  loyalty  or 
adherence  to  a  creed,  but  here  testifying  becomes  monotonous, 
and  men  will  not  meet  regularly  merely  to  cry  "  Yea,  yea,"  or 
*'  Nay,  nay."  There  are  no  Scotland  First  or  Wales  First  or 
Flngland  First  societies.  In  Ireland, there  are  societies  enough  to 
accomplish  national  work  of  some  kind  or  another,  but  I  have 
not  heard  of  even  Ireland  First  societies.  The  weakness  inherent 
to  political  organizations  that  have  no  definite  work  to  do  is 
seen  in  the  difficulty  that  has  been  found  in  forming  and 
maintaining  in  existence  branches  of  the  Imperial  F'ederation 
League.  I  am  a  member  of  that  League,  but  it  is  evident 
that  it  will  soon  vanish  into  thin  air,  unless  some  scheme  of 
commercial  or  political  union  is  agreed  upon,  for  the  carrying  of 
which  its  members  may  work. 

Is  there,  then,  a  common  national  sentiment  in  Canada, 
independent  of  the  vigorous  Provincial  contingent  that  we  find 
in  each  Province  ?  Is  there  a  common  life  that  binds  these 
Provinces  and  Territories  together  ?  We  have  a  political  unity, 
but,  does  that  represent  any  underlying  sentiment  ?  I  believe 
that  it  does,  though  the  national  pulse  is  weak  and  is  ail  but 
overpowered  by  the  currents  of  Provincial  interests,  which  fac- 
tion uses  in  the  most  unscrupulous  way,  and  by  the  cross  cur- 
rents of  racial  and  religious  prejudices,  too  often  sedulously 


Art,    Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        24g 

fostered  for  selfish  purposes.  This  common  life  is  made  up  of 
three  elements:  North-American,  French  and  British.  The  at- 
mosphere, the  soil,  the  climate,  and  all  th''  physical  conditions 
under  which  a  people  lives,  determine  to  a  great  extent  its  char- 
acter and  place  in  history.  All  these  are  North-American,  and 
very  far  North  at  that.  In  the  centre  of  the  Dominion  is  the 
Province  of  Quebec,  French  to  the  core,  French  in  language 
and  in  heart ;  nourishing,  too,  the  sentiments,  songs,  laws  and 
institutions  of  the  17th  rather  than  of  the  19th  century.  Then, 
Canada,  as  a  whole,  has  inherited  from  Britain,  not  merely  what 
the  United  States  have  inherited, — language,  literature,  laws, 
blood,  religion  and  the  fundamental  principles  of  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty,  that  are  at  the  basis  of  modern  States,  but  also 
continuity  of  national  life.  That  means  a  great  deal.  It  in- 
cludes the  same  traditions,  the  same  political  and  constitutional 
forms;  the  same  history,  sentiments  and  affections;  a  common 
flag,  a  common  allegiance,  and  a  common  citizenship.  These 
things  make  up  a  great  deal  of  our  life.  Every  one  knows  how 
much  the  flag  represents.  And  this  Jubilee  year  will  demon- 
strate the  extent  of  the  loyalty  that  all  citizens  feel  towards 
the  head  of  the  whole  Empire.  We  have  undertaken  to  build 
up  on  this  continent  a  Franco-British-North-American  state, 
believing  that  these  three  elements  can  be  fused  into  a  common 
life  ;  the  experiment  is  being  tried.  Should  there  be  success, 
Canada  may  be  the  link  that  shall  unite  the  great  mother  and 
her  greatest  daughter,  the  United  States  of  America.  What 
prospect  is  there  of  the  experiment  succeeding  ?  What  proofs 
are  there  that  the  three  elements  are  fusing  or  will  fuse  into  a 
common  Canadian  national  sentiment? 


2^o  New  Papers  on  Canadtatt  History, 

The  formation  of  the  Canadian  Confederation  showed  that 
the  people  of  the  different  Provinces  had  the  national  instinct. 
Autonomous  Provinces  are  not  willing  to  give  up  any  portion 
of  their  power,  even  to  constitute  a  nation.  Any  one  will 
admit  that,  who  knows  the  reluctancy  of  the  thirteen  colonies 
to  surreaider  to  the  central  authority  the  smallest  portion  of 
their  independence.  And,  in  our  case,  the  geographical  diffi- 
culties in  the  way  of  union  seemed  well  nigh  insuperable.  To 
begin  with,  the  Intercolonial  Railroad  had  to  be  built  along 
the  St.  Lawrence,  involving  a  detour  of  two  or  three  hundred 
otherwise  unnecessary  miles.  Commerce  demanded  that  the 
connection  between  Montreal  and  the  maritime  Provinces 
should  be  across  the  State  of  Maine,  and  the  road  by  that 
direct  line  is  now  being  built.  So,  too,  commerce  demanded 
that  the  connection  between  Montreal  and  the  Northwest  shore 
be  by  the  Sault  St.  Marie  and  along  the  south  of  Lake  Superior. 
And  commerce  made  no  demand  for  a  railway  across  the  Sel- 
kirks  to  the  Pacific.  But  in  all  those  cases,  political  necessities 
predominated,  and  the  people  have  consented  willingly  to  the 
enormous  cost  of  building  the  Intercolonial  and  the  Canadian 
Pacific  railways  as  political  roads.  All  that  is  now  required  to 
make  the  Dominion  perfectly  independent,  by  land  and  water, 
so  far  as  means  of  communication  from  one  part  of  the  Domi- 
nion to  another  is  concerned,  is  a  canal  on  the  Canadian  side 
of  Sault  St.  Marie  ;  and  its  construction  has  been  determined 
upon.  The  cost  will  not  b**  excessive.  There  nature  is  on 
our  side.  If  there  was  to  be  only  one  canal,  it  is  quite  clear  to 
the  most  careless  observer  that  it  should  be  on  the  Canadian 
shore.     The  adoption  of  the  National  Policy,  or  the  protection 


Arty  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2^1 

of  our  own  manufactures  against  all  other  countries,  Britain 
included,  was  a  distinct  declaration  of  commercial  indepen- 
dence, that  has  been  reaffirmed  again  and  again  by  the  people 
of  Canada.  The  outburst  of  patriotic  feeling,  when  the  re- 
cent rebellion  broke  out  in  the  Northwest,  was  still  more  sig- 
nificant. Though  the  French  Canadians  identified  the  cause 
of  the  rebels  with  their  own  nationality,  or  rather  with  the  up- 
holding of  French  influence  in  the  Territories,  regiments  of 
Quebec  militia  marched  to  put  the  rebellion  down.  And  pa- 
triotic feeling  was  not  deeper  in  Ontario  than  it  was  in  Nova 
Scotia,  where  various  causes  had  combined  to  make  Confede- 
ration unpopular.  For  twenty  years,  the  Canadians  have  con- 
tinued their  resolute  effort  to  accomplish  complete  national, 
political,  commercial  uiid  national  unity,  in  spite  of  the  geo- 
graphical and  other  difficulties  in  the  way,  that  might  well  have 
appalled  them.  The  present  calm  determination  to  protect  our 
fisheries,  and  to  waive  no  jot  of  our  rights,  although  all  our 
interests  and  feelings  lie  in  the  direction  of  unfettered  commer- 
cial intercourse,  and  the  preservation  of  friendly  feelings  with 
the  United  States,  is  another  proof  that  we  have  become  one 
people.  The  fisheries  along  the  maritime  shores  do  not  directly 
concern  Ontario  ;  but  the  feeling  there  against  surrender  to 
anything  like  encroachment  is  as  decided  as  in  Nova  Scotia. 
The  symptoms  of  restlessness,  on  account  of  our  position  being 
merely  colonial,  and  the  discussion  of  plans,  whereby  we  may 
emerge  into  a  position  of  recognized  nationality  and  stable 
political  equilibrium,  also  shows  that  we  are  nearingthat  point 
in  our  history  when  we  must  assume  the  full  responsibilities 
of  nationhood,  or  abandon  the  experiment  altogether. 


2^2  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

I  have  said  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  Canadian  national 
sentiment,  but  the  fact  that  the  question  can  be  asked,  whether 
there  is  or  not,  proves  how  weak  that  sentiment  must  be.  No 
one  would  ask  such  a  question  with  regard  to  the  United  States 
or  the  smallest  of  European  kingdoms  or  republics.  Outsiders 
may  think  that  it  would  be  better  for  Belgium  to  be  incorpora- 
ted with  France,  or  for  Holland  to  cast  in  its  lot  with  Germany; 
but  in  each  case  national  sentiment  is  too  unmistakable  to 
make  such  a  fate  likely.  Canada  covers  half  a  continent,  and 
her  great  neighbor  is  certainly  not  as  unscrupulous  or  as  mili- 
tary a  power  as  France  or  Germany.  Yet,  it  would  be  inac- 
curate to  say  that  she  occupies  as  distinct  and  unanimous  a  po- 
sition with  regard  to  her  future  as  Belgium  or  Holland.  The 
fact  must  be  admitted  that  Canadian  patriotic  sentiment  is 
weak.  Why  is  it  so  ?  Simply  because  we  have  had  to  do  so 
little  for  the  common  weal.  Our  national  sentiment  has  never 
been  put  to  the  test.  Not  once  have  we  been  called  upon  to 
choose  between  the  nation  and  all  that  as  individuals  we  hold 
dear.  We  have  not  been  tried  in  the  furnace,  and  the  dross  of 
selfishness  is  in  us.  Few  of  us  have  had  to  suffer,  few  of  our 
children  have  had  to  die  for  the  nation. 

Far  otherwise  has  it  been  with  the  United  States.  The 
thirteen  colonies  had  to  fight  for  their  freedom  to  begin  with. 
Rather  than  submit  to  infringement  on  their  political  liberty, 
they  ventured  to  stand  up  against  the  disciplined  soldiers  of  the 
mother  country.  It  was  a  great  resolve.  It  was  a  great  thing 
to  do.  They  succeeded,  and  so  proved  their  right  to  be  a 
nation.  It  has  been  said  that  they  nearly  failed.  It  has  been 
proved  over  and  over  again  that  they  would  have  failed,  had 


Artt  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce,        2^j 

it  not  b.en  for  this,  that,  or  the  other  accident.     The  geese 
cackled,  the  ass  brayed  or  the  dog   barked.     But    the  mere 
cackling  ot  geese  never  amounts  to  much.     Depend  upon  it, 
there  must  be  Roman  hearts  somewhere  near,  as  well  as  geese, 
if  anything  is  to  be  done.    Even  if  the  thirteen  colonies  had 
failed,  failure  could  have  been  only  temporary  in  the  case  of 
such  a  people.     It  has  been  said  that  Washington  was  not  a 
perfect  character,  that  his  officers  were  jealous,  his  men  intract- 
able and  mutinous,  and  Congress  selfish  and  incompetent.    But, 
supposing  all  these  charges  true,  what  has  been  proved  ?  Simply 
that  the  hero  is  not  a   hero  to  his  valet,  and  that  an  heroic 
epoch  under  mundane  conditions  is  not  wholly  celestial.     But, 
at  a  little  distance,  the  picture  is  seen  to  better  advantage. 
The  mountain  side  is  rough  to  the  man  who  is  climbing  it,  but 
to  him  who  looks  at  it  from  a  distant  point  of  vantage,  it  is  soft 
as  velvet.     It  is  seen   under  a  haze,  or  rosy  or  purple  light. 
So  the  events  of  the  Revolutionary  war  became  glorified  to 
the  generations  following.     They  saw  them  through  a  golden 
haze,  which   concealed    everything   mean   and    petty.    These 
events  constituted  an  inexhaustible  reservoir,  from  which  the 
nation  drank  for  nearly  a  century.     Incidents  of  all  kinds,  love 
stories,  tales  of  intrigue  and  danger,  of  desperate  but  successful 
valor    were    woven    round   every  battle-field.     The     Revolu- 
tionary struggle    made   a   deplorable  schism  in    the   English- 
speaking  race,  but  at  the  same  time  it  made  a  nation,  and  it 
taught  the  mother  country  a  lesson  that  she  has  never  forgotten. 
Nearly  a  century  afterwards,  just  when  people  were  becoming 
slightly  tired  of  Fourth  of  July  fire-cracker  celebrations,  a  still 
greater  thing  was  given  to  the  American  people  to  do.   They  were 


2^4  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

forced  to  choose  between  the  life  of  the  nation  and  an  organized 
slave-power  that  boasted  that  the  sources  of  national  wealth 
were  in  its  hands.  They  had  to  grapple  with  and  strangle  slavery 
or  let  the  nation  be  cleft  in  twain.  The  choice  was  a  hard 
one,  but  they  chose  well.  It  involved  an  expenditure  so 
immense  that  no  calculation  of  it  can  be  made,  but  the  invest- 
ment was  wise.  There  is  no  nation  on  earth  so  shrewd  as 
regards  all  manners  of  investments  as  the  American,  and  never 
did  it  make  an  investment  so  profitable.  Literature  and  art, 
morals  and  religion,  song,  music,  poetry  and  eloquence,  all  have 
flowed  from  it  and  will  continue  to  flow  from  it  for  generations. 
These  things  are  more  precious  than  gold  or  anything  that  gold 
can  buy.  They  are  life.  Sentiment  and  the  almighty  dollar 
came  into  conflict,  and  fortunately  for  the  American  people 
sentiment  proved  the  mightier.  No  wonder  that  Abraham  Lin- 
coln's name  has  eclipsed  that  of  George  Washington.  Who  now 
dreams  of  dwelling  on  the  petty  skirmishes  of  the  Revolutionary 
war?  Every  American  citizen  is  now  a  better  and  richer  man, 
because  he  shares  in  a  grander  national  life.  He  feels  its 
pulsations  in  his  own  veins,  and  he  knows  that  his  children 
and  children's  children  will  share  in  an  inheritance  beyond  all 
price  and  that  can  never  be  taken  from  them. 

Now,  what  has  Canada  done  to  show  that  she  values  na- 
tional existence  and  national  honor  more  than  anything  else  ? 
I  have  already  gone  over  the  record,  and  it  must  be  admitted 
that  more  could  not  have  been  expected  in  the  circumstances, 
and  that  there  is  promise  and  potency  in  it  not  unworthy  of  the 
stock  from  which  we  have  sprung.  We  have  no  right  to  expect 
from  man  or  nation  more  than  the  duty  of  the  hour,  and  on 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        ^55 

the  whole,  Canada  has  not  been  unfaithful  to  that.  Fortu- 
nately, or  unfortunately,  according  to  the  point  of  view,  we  are 
not  likely  to  be  called  upon  to  pass  through  the  valley  of  tears 
and  blood  in  order  to  obtain  the  crown  of  complete  national 
freedom.  On  the  one  hand,  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  Great 
Britain  will  not  repeat  the  mistake  of  the  last  century.  In  every 
conceivable  way  she  has  declared  that  our  destiny  is  in  our  own 
hands.  She  gets  nothing  from  us,  yet  she  holds  herself  pledged 
to  defend  us,  if  necessary,  against  all  comers  and  at  all  hazards. 
In  making  every  commercial  treaty,  she  gives  us  the  option 
whether  we  shall  be  included  in  it  or  not.  She  facilitates  our 
attempts  to  negotiate  treaties  for  ourselves.  She  never  discri- 
minates against  us  or  anybody  else.  Never,  in  the  history  of 
the  world,  has  a  mother  country  been  so  generous.  We  have 
imposed  heavy  duties  upon  her  manufactures,  utterly  rejecting 
the  doctrine  of  free  trade,  which  to  her  is  commercially  the 
truth,  the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  that  19th 
century  gospel,  of  which  she  considers  herself  the  apostle  to 
stiff-necked  nations  and  colonies  ;  yet,  she  has  uttered  no  word 
of  oflficial  remonstrance.  I  believe  that  we  may  discriminate 
against  her  manufactures;  may  declare  ourselves  politically  in- 
dependent, or  openly  annex  ourselves  to  the  United  States, 
without  one  shot  being  fired  by  her  in  protest.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  United  States  are  certain  not  to  repeat  the  mistake  of 
18 1 2-1 5.  The  armies  that  entered  Canada  then,  to  give  us  free- 
dom, found  the  whole  population  determined  not  to  be  free ; 
at  any  rate  not  to  accept  the  gift  on  that  line.  There  is  no 
more  likelihood  of  Canada  attacking  the  United  States  than 
there  is  of  a  boy  attacking  a  full-grown  man.     And   we  are 


2^6  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

quite  sure  that  the  man  has  no  intention  of  trying  to  murder 
the  boy. 

We  are  able  to  distinguish  the  bluster  of  individuals 
from  the  strong  will  of  a  great  nation.  We  believe  that,  if  a 
political  party  brought  on  a  war  of  aggression  against  Canada, 
it  would  simply  be  performing  the  happy  despatch  for  itself. 
We  may  protect  our  fisheries,  and  build  canals  and  railroads 
where  we  like.  The  Gloucester  fishermen  may  get  angry  and 
Billingsgate  fisheries,  and  newspapers  may  solemnly  warn  the 
country  that  Canada  is  constructing  forts,  summoning  gunboats 
from  the  vasty  deep,  and  calling  out  her  militia !  Congress 
may  pass  retaliatory  acts,  and  the  President  may  even  see  it  to 
be  his  duty  to  decree  non-intercourse.  But  there  will  be  no 
war. 

The  United  States  believe  that  they  have  enough  on 
their  hands  already.  A  still  larger  number  are  convinced  that 
the  general  well-being  and  the  grand  old  cause  will  be  served  by 
there  being  two  English-speaking  States  on  this  continent 
working  out  the  problems  of  liberty  under  different  forms.  No 
doubt,  many  would  like  to  see  one  flag  from  the  gulf  of  Mexico 
to  the  Pole,  but  they  know  well  that  it  would  be  better  to  wait 
for  generations  for  such  a  consummation  than  to  try  to  bring  it 
about  by  force,  or  at  the  expense  or  the  honor  of  either  con- 
tracting party. 

It  appears,  therefore,  that  our  future  will  not  be  precipi- 
tated or  determined  for  us  from  without.  We  must  settle  it  for 
ourselves.  And  we  are  taking  matters  so  coolly,  that  some 
think  we  have  little  interest  in  it,  and  are  satisfied  to  drift 
or   to    remain  indefinitely  in   the    merely    colonial    position. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2^j 

Charles  Roberts,    our   most    promising    poet,    represents 
Canada  as  standing  among  the  nations 

"  Unheeded,  unadored,  unhymned 
With  unanointed  brow." 

and  he  asks  reproachfully: 

"  How  long  the  ignoble  sloth,  how  long 
The  trust  in  greatness  not  thine  own.  " 

There  is  certainly  nothing  of  the  heroic  in  our  national  atti- 
tude. In  his  indignation,  Roberts  ranks  us  "with  babes  and 
slaves,"  and  he  seems  to  me  to  speak  something  like  sober  truth. 
A  baby,  when  attacked,  runs  to  its  mother's  apron-strings,  and 
though  the  fault  may  be  wholly  its  own,  the  responsibility  is 
principally  the  mother's.  When  our  newspapers  hear  of  non- 
intercourse  bills,  they  assure  their  readers  that  there  is  no  dan- 
ger ;  that  Canada  is  bound  up  with  the  British  Empire,  and 
that  the  United  States  cannot  discriminate  between  parts  of  an 
Empire,  one  and  indivisible.  When  there  is  talk  of  the  possibi- 
lity of  war,  they  hint  of  the  havoc  that  British  men-of-war 
could  work  on  the  undefended  wealthy  cities  that  lie  along  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts.  But,  let  there  be  a  proposal  of 
Federation  for  the  defence  of  common  interests,  and  the  same 
papers  adopt  a  different  strain.  They  point  out  that  Britain 
needs  her  fleet  for  her  own  protection  and  the  maintenance  of 
her  commercial  supremacy,  and  that  it  is  Utopian — that  is  a 
favorite  word — to  expect  that  we  should  contribute  towards 
making  it  efficient.  Is  not  Roberts  right  ?  Is  not  that  the 
baby's  attitude?  So,  New  Foundland  is  indignant  at  present  with 
the  mother  country,  because  she  was  not  ready  to  quarrel  with 


2^S  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

I'lancc  for  her  sake.  Mut  not  so  very  lonj,'  ago,  the  same  an- 
cient colony  paid  no  more  attention  to  the  strongly  accentuated 
Imperial  poUcy  in  favor  of  the  confederation  of  all  the  British 
American  colonies,  than  if  that  had  been  the  policy  of  Russia, 
or  a  selfish  scheme  of  the  mother  country  that  the  children 
should  consider  only  from  the  point  of  view  of  their  own  im- 
mediate interests.  There  has  been  too  much  of  the  baby  atti- 
tude. We  know  what  the  mind  of  a  slave  is.  He  would  like 
liberty,  if  it  meant  idleness  coupled  with  the  good  things  of 
Kgypt.  But  I'^gypt  to  hiin  is  better  than  the  desert,  without 
food  and  water.  To  be  stuffed  with  pork  and  beans,  and  to  lie 
in  bed  or  swing  on  a  gate  all  day  long,  with  nothing  to  pay 
and  no  master  or  no  winter  to  come,  is  bliss  unalloyed.  When 
I  read  editorials  reminding  Canadians  of  the  advantages  of 
their  present  position — the  protection  of  the  mother  country, 
no  matter  where  they  go  or  what  they  do,  and  not  a  cent  to 
pay — I  am  reminded  of  Sambo's  ideal  of  Paradise.  Alas,  if 
they  only  knew  it;  they  are  paying  a  price  far  greater  than 
their  fair  share  should  be,  according  to  any  principle  of  com- 
putation ! 

If  this  is  a  true  picture  of  our  present  position,  is  it  any 
wonder  that  national  sentiment  is  weak  ?  What  have  we  '.o 
be  proud  of?  The  wars  of  Champlain  and  Frontenac  with  tie 
Iroquois  ;  the  raids  into  New  York  and  Maine  ;  the  campaigns 
of  1 812-15  have  re-ceded  into  the  dim  distance  as  completely  as 
the  wars  of  New  England  with  the  Indian  Sachems,  or  the  strug- 
gles of  Virginia  with  the  French  for  the  Ohio.  We  Canadians 
have  not  been  idle.  We  have  subdued  the  forest ;  have  built 
schools,  colleges,  churches,  cities ;  and,  as  sons  of  those  hardy 


A7'i,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2^g 

Norsemen, whose  home  was  on  the  deep,  have  made  ourselves  the 
fifth  maritime  nation  in  the  world.  We  own  {^reat  ocean-going 
steam  fleets,  and  have  constructed  canals  and  railroads  as  won- 
derful as  any  to  be  found  on  the  planet.  All  this  work,  done 
most  of  it  from  "  pure  unvexed  instinct  of  duty,  "  is  good. 
The  man  who  has  spent  a  lifetime  clearing  a  hundred  acres  of 
solid  brush  on  the  wooded  hillsides  of  Cape  Breton,  or  along 
the  shores  of  Krie  or  Huron,  is  of  the  same  kin  as  the  northern 
farmer  wlio  "  stubb'd  the  Thornaby  wa.ste."  From  such  an  in- 
dustrious, duty-doing  stock,  heroes  are  apt  to  spring.  Rut  the 
heroes  must  come,  or  we  shall  have  rnly  a  community  of  bea- 
vers, not  a  nation.  "  We  have  something  to  be  proud  of,"  re- 
marked a  venerable  gentleman  to  me  not  many  years  ago,  "  we 
have  the  best  oarsman  in  the  world,  and  my  .son  owns  a  cow 
that  gives  thirty  quarts  of  milk  a  day,  and  he  has  refu.sed  ten 
thousand  dollars  for  her.  "  Very  good.  We  have  not  a  word 
against  Hanlan  or  the  cow.     But  we  cannot  live  on  them. 

What  must  be  done  ?  We  must  rise  higher  than  the  cow. 
We  must  make  up  our  minds  with  regard  to  the  future. 
Drifting  is  unworthy  of  grown  men.  Drifting  means  unbelief 
in  ourselves,  and  abandonment  to  chance  or  to  the  momentary 
exigencies  of  party  leaders.  It  means  almost  certain  disaster. 
We  must  become  a  nation  in  reality,  with  all  the  respon- 
sibilities and  privileges  of  nationhood.  There  are  only  three 
directions  that  can  be  taken,  and  the  mind  of  the  people  has 
not  yet  laid  hold  of  the  question,  with  the  determination  to  settle 
it,  which  is  the  right  direction.  We  have  before  us  :  First,  a 
closer  political  and  commercial  union  with  the  mother  colonies, 
and  the  rest  of  the  Empire.     This  has  been  called  Imperial 


26o  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

Federation,  but  it  might  also  be  termed  Imperial  Union  or  even 
Alliance.       It    would    be    satisfied    in    the    meantime    with    a 
recognition   of   the  right  of  the  great  self-governing  colonies 
to  be  consulted  on  peace,  war  and  treaties,  and  with  an  inter- 
Imperial  tariff  of  discriminatory  duties  against  all  the  rest  of 
the  world,  as  a  means  of  raising  a  common   Imperial  revenue. 
Secondly,  the  proposal,  made  in  whispers,  of  an  independent 
Canadian   Republic,  formed  with  the  consent  of  the  mother 
country  ;  and.  Thirdly,  the  suggestion  that  the  best  way  out 
of  our  debt  and  difficulties  with  the  French-Canadians  as  well 
as  with  secessionism  in   Nova  Scotia,  and  disallowance  in  the 
Northwest,  would  be  by  annexation    to    the    United    States. 
So  far,  the  people  have  not  seriously  considered  what  should 
be  done,  or  whether  anything  needs  to  be  done,  much  less  have 
they  crystallized  into  parties  on  the  subject.     Consequently, 
not  one  of  the  three  possible  forms  that  we  may  assume  has 
many  representatives  openly  connected  with  it,  although  the 
conviction  is  deepening  that  any  one  of  them  would  be  better 
than  the  continuance  of  our  present  position  for  an  indefinitely 
prolonged  period. 

Now,  I  am  not  going  to  argue  for  or  against  any  of  these 
possible  issues.  We  are  likely  to  evolve  peacefully,  in  my 
opinion,  into  one  or  another.  As  long  as  revolution  is  avoided, 
the  movements  of  nations  are  regular  and  in  accordance  with 
antecedent  causes  —  prophet  is  he  who  can  see  into  those 
antecedent  causes  so  clearly  that  he  can  predict  the  outcome.  I 
do  not  pretend  to  have  this  prophetic  gift.  The  question  is 
too  complicated  and  too  big  for  me.  Notwithstanding  all 
the  light  that  has  been  vouchsafed  to  us  by  men  who  speak 


Art,  Science,  /literature,  and  Commerce.        261 

with  somewhat  of  prophetic  authority  on  the  subject,  the  people 
still  crave  for  more  light.  Any  one  of  the  changes,  it  is  felt, 
will  involve  a  great  leap  in  the  dark.  Therefore,  the  man  who 
attempts  to  argue  for  one  or  another  should  be  a  wise  man  ; 
one  who  has  meditated  upon  the  subject  in  all  its  phases  and 
who  is  not  :>wayed  by  any  selfish  views  ;  who  combines  a 
mastery  of  details  with  insight  into  principles ;  who  is  sensible 
of  the  gravity  of  the  issues  that  are  involved  and  who  has 
estimated  the  cost  for  Canada  of  the  position  he  takes  ;  above 
all,  who  is  too  conversant  with  the  difificulties  connected  with 
any  solution  to  think  that  an  epigram  will  settle  it.  or  to  insult 
by  any  kind  of  misrepresentations  or  rich  name  those  who 
cannot  see  eye-to-eye  with  him. 

All  that  I  propose  to  do,  in  the  conclusion  of  this  paper, 
is  to  mention  the  stand-point  from  which  I  submit  that  we 
should  argue  the  subject,  and  to  consider  briefly  the  recently 
proposed  closer  commercial  relations  between  Canada  and  the 
United  States. 

I.  Our  stand-point  should  be  that  indicated  in  the  title  of 
this  paper,  of  '*  Canada  First."  This  means  the  settled  convic- 
tion that  Canada  is  not  merely  a  string  of  Provinces,  fortuitously 
strung  together,  but  a  single  nationality  ;  young,  but  with  a  life 
of  its  own  ;  a  colony  in  name,  but  with  a  national  spirit,  which 
though  weak,  is  growing  stronger  daily  ;  a  country  with  a  future 
and  worthy  of  the  loyalty  of  its  sons.  It  means  in  the  next 
place  the  settled  conviction  that  the  honor  of  Canada  must 
always  be  maintained,  no  matter  what  the  cost,  and  that 
Canadian  interests  are  of  first  importance.  Any  man  who  is 
animated  by  these  convictions  is  a  true  Canadian,  no  matter 


262  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

what    his    views    may    be   as  to  the    political    form    that    the 
Dominion  is  ultimately  to  assume. 

It  may  be  asked  :  How  can  Canada  have  at  the  same  time 
the  position  of  a  nation  and  a  colony  ?  I  answer  that  a  country 
no  more  than  an  individual  attains  to  complete  self-realization 
at  once;  but,  until  it  does  so,  it  is  allowed  a  place  amonjifthe 
nations  only  by  courtesy.  As  I  have  already  hinted,  the  War 
of  Independence  was  made  much  more  difficult  than  it  other- 
wise would  have  been,  from  the  fact  that  each  of  the  thirteen 
colonies  thought  itself  supreme  and  the  Union  secondary. 
Even  that  war  for  bare  life  did  not  teach  the  lesson  that  a  real 
Union  was  necessary  to  constitute  a  great  State.  It  took  some 
years  of  deadlocks  before  the  present  constitution  was  adopted. 
We  can  see  how  weak  the  bond  that  held  the  States  together 
was  felt  to  be — for  a  long  time— ^even  after  that,  we  see  it  in  the 
action  of  State  Legislatures  in  i<Si2-i  5,  justifying  Great  Britain 
and  Canada,  threatening  secession  and  refusing  quotas  of  troops; 
from  subsequent  attempts  at  nullification  North  and  South  ; 
from  political  compromises  and  conflicts  at  various  times  ;  and, 
at  last,  from  the  great  war  of  Secession,  when  thousands  of  men 
like  Lee  and  Jackson,  who  cared  nothing  for  slavery,  fought  for 
it  rather  than  fight  against  their  own  native  State.  It  took 
nearly  a  century  for  the  great  Republic  to  realize  itself,  to  under- 
stand that  its  life  was  a  sacred  thing,  and  that  whosoever  or 
whatsoever  stood  in  the  way  or  interfered  with  its  legitimate 
development  must  be  swept  out  of  the  way.  It  accomplished 
the  necessary  task.  Consequently  its  present  proud  position. 
It  stands  out  before  the  world  a  power  so  mighty  that  we  can 
hardly  conceive  of  a  force,  internal  or  external,  great  enough  to 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        26j 

threaten  it.  Well,  Canada  stands  now  about  where  the  United 
States  stood  a  century  ago.  The  circumstances  are  different, 
for  though  history  repeats  itself,  it  does  not  do  so  slavishly. 
We  have  had  a  different  historical  development.  We  have 
more  radical  racial  diversities.  We  have  a  less  genial  climate, 
and  larger  breadths  of  land  of  which  nothing  can  be  made.  But, 
we  are  near  where  the  Republic  stood  a  century  ago.  Canada 
is  in  its  infancy  and  must  expect  infantile  troubles.  It  must 
go  through  the  hard  experience  of  measles,  teething,  calf-fears 
and  calf-love ;  must  be  expected  to  spend  its  pocket-money 
foolishly,  suffer  from  explosions  of  temper,  get  slights  that  are 
hard  to  bear  and  abrasions  of  the  skin  that  will  make  it  think 
life  not  worth  living.  But,  it  is  a  big  healthy  child,  comes  of 
a  good  stock,  has  an  enormously  large  farm,  which  is  somewhat 
in  need  of  fencing  and  cultivation,  and  I  think  it  may  be 
depended  on  to  pull  through.  It  is  growing  up  under  stern 
conditions,  and,  as  a  Scotch-Canadian,  taught  in  his  youth  to 
revere  Solomon  and  to  believe  therefore  in  the  efficacy  of  the 
rod  and  the  yoke  for  children,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  it  is 
none  the  worse  for  that.  The  climate  is  most  trying  to  tramps. 
Geography  and  treaties  have  united  to  make  its  material  unifi- 
cation difficult.  Much  of  its  property  is  not  worth  stealing; 
but  all  the  more  will  it  hold  on  with  grim  tenacity  to  all  that 
is  worth  anything. 

But,  no  matter  what  may  be  said  in  its  disparagement,  it 
is  a  wide  and  goodly  land,  with  manifold  beauties  of  its  own, 
with  boundless  resources,  that  are  only  beginning  to  be  devel- 
oped, and  with  room  and  verge  for  Empire.  Each  Province 
has  attractions  for  its  children.     One  would  need  to  live  in  it 


264  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History^ 

to  understand  how  strong  these  attractions  are.  Only  when 
you  live  among  the  country  people,  do  they  reveal  themselves. 
Strangers  or  tourists  are  not  likely  to  have  the  faintest  concep- 
tion of  their  deepest  feelings.  Thus  a  man  who  lives  in  his 
study,  or  in  a  select  coterie,  or  always  in  a  city,  may — no  mat- 
ter how  great  his  ability — utterly  misconceive  the  spirit  of  a 
Province  or  nation  and  the  vigor  of  its  life.  It  has  been  my  lot 
to  live  for  a  time  in  almost  every  one  of  our  Provinces,  and  to 
cross  the  whole  dominion,  again  and  again,  from  ocean  to 
ocean,  by  steamer  or  canoe,  by  rail  and  buck-board,  on  horse- 
back and  on  foot,  and  I  have  found,  in  the  remotest  settle- 
ments, a  remarkable  acquaintance  with  public  questions  and 
much  soundness  of  judgment  and  feeling  with  regard  to  them  ; 
a  high  average  purity  of  individual  and  family  life,  and  a  steady 
growth  of  national  sentiment.  I  have  sat  with  the  blackened 
toilers  in  the  coal  mines  of  Pictou  and  Cape  Breton,  the  dark- 
ness made  visible  by  the  little  lamps  hanging  from  their  sooty 
foreheads  ;  have  worshipped  with  pious  Highlanders  in  log-huts, 
in  fertile  glens  and  on  hillsides,  where  the  forest  gives  place 
slowly  to  the  plough,  and  preached  to  assembled  thousands, 
seated  on  grassy  hillocks  and  prostrate  trees ;  have  fished  and 
sailed  with  the  hardy  mariners,  who  find  "every  harbor,  from 
Sable  to  Causeau,  a  home  ;  "  have  ridden  under  the  willows  of 
Evangeline's  country,  and  gazed  from  north  and  south  moun- 
tain on  a  sea  of  app'e-blossoms ;  have  talked  with  gold  miners, 
fishermen,  farmers,  merchants,  students,  and  have  learned  to 
respect  my  fellow-countrymen  and  to  sympathize  with  their 
Provincial  life,  and  to  see  that  it  was  not  antagonistic  but  in- 
tended to  be  the  handmaid  to  a  true  national  life.     Go  there, 


Ari,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        26^ 

not  altoj^ether  in  the  spirit  of  "Baddeck,  and  that  sort  of  thing." 
Pass  from  Annapolis  Royal  into  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  and  then 
canoe  up  the  rivers,  shaded  by  the  great  trees  of  New  Brunswick. 
Live  a  while  with  the  habitants  of  Quebec,  admire  their  indus- 
try, frugaUty  and  courtesy  ;  hear  their  carols  and  songs,  that 
blend  the  forgotten  music  of  Normandy  and  Brittany  with  the 
music  of  Canadian  woods ;  music  and  song,  as  well  as  language 
and  religion,  rooting  in  them  devotion  to  "  Our  Language,  our 
Laws,  our  Institutions."  Live  in  historic  Quebec,  and  experience 
the  hospitality  of  Montreal.  Pass  through  the  Province  of 
Ontario,  itself  possessing  the  resources  of  a  kingdom.  Sail  on 
lakes  great  enough  to  be  called  .seas,  along  rugged  Laurentian 
coasts,  or  take  the  new  Northwest  passage  by  land,  that  the  Ca- 
nadian Pacific  has  opened  up  from  the  upper  Ottawa,  through 
a  thousand  miles  once  declared  impracticable  for  railways,  and 
now  yielding  treasures  of  wood,  and  copper  and  silver,  till  you 
come  to  that  great  prairie  ocean,  that  sea  of  green  and  gold  in 
this  month  of  May,  who.se  billows  extend  for  nigh  another  thou- 
sand miles  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  out  of  which  great  Provin- 
ces like  Minnesota  and  Dakota  will  be  carved  in  the  immediate 
future.  And  when  you  have  reached  the  Pacific,  and  look  back 
over  all  the  panorama  that  unrolls  it.self  before  your  mental 
vision,  you  will  not  doubt  that  the  country  is  destined  to  have 
a  future.  You  will  thank  God  that  you  belong  to  a  generation 
to  whom  the  duty  has  been  assigned  of  laying  its  foundations ; 
and  knowing  that  the  solidity  of  any  construction  is  in  propor- 
tion to  the  faith,  the  virtue  and  the  self-sacrifice  that  has  been 
wrought  into  the  foundation,  you  will  pray  that  you  for  one 
may  not  be  found  wanting. 


266  Xew  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

This  is  our  country,  and  this  is  a  period  in  its  history,  the 
importance   of   which    cannot    be    exaggerated.      All    of  us, 
whether  living  at  home  or  abroad,  owe  a  duty  to  it,  which  we' 
shall  be  base  if  we  neglect.  Confederation  wasaco.stly  mistake,  if 
we  had  not  faith  in  its  future  ;  a  mistake  that  has  cost  hundreds 
of  millions  of  dollars.     But,  so  far  as  I  know,  the  people  do  not 
think  that  any  mistake  was  made.     Every  d^y,  their  national 
spirit  is  rising.     We  shall  yet  be  proud  of  our  country.     In  the 
meantime,  let  us  all  be  united  in  heart,  though  we  may  not 
agree  as  to  the  best  means  of  stimulating  the  purest  patriotism. 
We  may  dispute  whether  a  closer  union  with  that  wonderful 
Kmpire-of  which  we  are  a  part  -or  separation,  and  the  flying  of 
a  new  flag,  would  be  the  better  way.     But  one  thing  is  clear; 
the  question  to  be  asked  and  satisfactorily  answered,  must  be: 
What  will  be  for  the  interest  of  the  people  of  Canada  ?     That 
includes,  not  merely  their  commercial  interest,  but  the  enrich- 
ment, purifying  and  uplifting  of  the  national  life.     We  cannot 
benefit   the   Empire  by  impoverishing  ourselves.     We  cannot 
benefit  humanity  by  doing  wrong  to  our  country. 

The  question  of  unrestricted  commercial  intercourse  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Canada  has  been  discussed  at  one 
or  two  meetings  of  this  Club.  It  would  not  become  me  to  take 
It  up  at  this  stage,  save  to  say,  that  it  too  must  be  considered 
from  the  "  Canada  First"  point  of  view.  I  am  mclined  to  think 
that  Canadians  will  say  little  about  it  until  they  have  the 
terms  of  the  proposed  measure  before  them.  The  advantages 
of  unrestricted  access  to  our  natural  market  are  undoubted. 
Indeed,  it  seems  to  me  simply  impossible  to  doubt  that  the 
advantages  would  be  equally  great  on  both  sides.     We  have 


Ariy  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        26y 

always  had  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  the  fault  has  not  been 
ours  that  the  intercourse  has  been  restricted.  We  have  never 
terminated  reciprocity  treaties,  though  we  have  proved  that  we 
could  get  along  without  them.  There  is,  besides,  a  standing 
offer  on  our  statute  book  that  has  never  been  taken  advantage 
of  for  the  lowering  of  duties  all  round. 

In  the  meantime,  I  trust  that  the  liberal  offer  which  Great 
Britain,  with  the  consent  of  Canada,  has  made  for  a  temporary 
adjustment  of  the  fishery  imbroglio  will  be  accepted  at  once. 
Then,  those  possible  complications  that,  under  the  present  state 
of  things,  may  arise  at  any  moment,  owing  to  the  unauthorized 
action  of  individuals,  will  be  averted,  and  the  whole  subject  of 
our  gelations  can  be  discussed  calmly.  No  righteous  man  or 
woman  in  Britain,  Canada  or  the  United  States,  wishes  any  so- 
lution that  is  not  fair  and  honorable.  In  this  Jubilee  year  of 
our  Queen,  in  a  time  when  the  power  of  the  bonds  that  bind 
together  the  members  of  the  English-speaking  race  is  being 
felt  all  round  the  world,  as  it  never  was  felt  before,  it  would  be 
an  irretrievable  calamity,  a  sin  that  posterity  would  never 
pardon,  should  there  be  a  quarrel  over  fish. 


'%.  Si!:; 


ISJ 


thp:  advantages  of  commercial 

union  to  canada  and  the 

united  states. 


KA'ASTUS  irJMAX. 


i  .In  iTtf(//rs.t  (/r/i7ifn't/  at  a  irception  to 
\       IJeut.-Ciov.  Robinson  of  Ontario. 


HE  question  of  Coinmercial  Union 
between  Canada  and  the  United 
States  is  an  exceedingly  simple  one. 
At  the  present  moment,  both  coun- 
tries have  a  iiigh  tariff,  and  a  staff 
of  custom-house  officials  along  the 
border  to  enforce  it.  It  is  now  pro- 
posed that  there  should  be  no  tariff 
whatever  between  the  United  States  and  Canada,  that  there 
should  be  no  custom-houses,  and  that  the  barriers  that 
have  hitherto  prevented  the  freest  intercourse  between  the 
two    countries   should  be  completely  abolished.     The  propo- 


2J0  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History,'* 

sition,  while  exceedingly  simple  in  its  statement,  is  freighted 
with  consequences  of  the  greatest  import  to  both  countries. 
It  is  of  rare  occurrence  in  the  history  of  communities,  for  men 
to  assemble  and  discuss  a  question  of  such  magnitude  as 
that  of  Commercial  Union.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  a 
topic  of  deeper  interest,  or  of  wider  range,  than  that  which 
purports  to  change  the  economic  relations  of  two  countries 
so  vast  as  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Recalling  great 
events  in  history,  their  importance  is  measured  by  the  conse- 
quences that  have  resulted  from  them.  The  Crusades,  the 
Reformation,  the  English  Revolution,  the  withdrawal  of  the 
American  Colonies,  the  French  Revolution,  the  Napoleonic 
wars,  all  stand  out  in  bold  relief,  because  of  the  momentous 
consequences  to  mankind  that  resulted  from  them. 

The  American  Revolution  is  probably,  of  all  others, 
the  event  that  has  had  the  most  direct  and  most  important 
influence  upon  the  English-speaking  race. 

In  this  New  World,  productive  forces  have  worked  out 
consequences  which  are  almost  beyond  human  computation. 
It  seems  as  if,  in  the  unfolding  of  the  Providence  of  God,  the 
discovery  and  development  of  America  was  the  one  thing 
needed  to  fulfill  the  destiny  of  His  creature,  man  ;  for,  without 
this  discovery,  mankind  would  never  have  reached  his  present 
material,  intellectual  and  moral  progress. 

The  growth  of  the  forces  that  contribute  to  the  world's 
freedom,  to  the  easy  sustentation  of  life,  to  the  advancement 
of  education  and  religion,  has  been  immeasurably  enhanced  by 
the  settlement  of  the  English-speaking  race  on  this  continent. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  whether  this  great  develop- 


Art,  Science,  Liieralure,  and  Commerce.        2yi 

ment  would  have  taken  place  had  the  allegiance  of  the  Ameri- 
can Colonies  been  maintained  with  (}reat  Britain.  Whatever 
opinion  may  be  entertained  on  that  point,  the  fact  remains 
that  up  to  this  period,  the  United  States  have  not  only  demon- 
strated the  power  of  a  {government  of  the  people,  by  the 
people,  and  for  the  people,  but  they  have  shown  a  degree  of 
material  progress  far  surpassing  that  of  any  other  nation. 
Notwithstanding  many  and  most  serious  drawbacks — of  a 
struggle  for  self-preservation  unparalleled  in  history — the  pro- 
gress of  the  United  States  in  all  that  makes  a  nation  great, 
rich,  powerful  and  influential,  challenges  the  admiration  of  the 
whole  world. 

Not  alone  does  it  challenge  the  admiration  of  the  whole 
world,  but  it  attracts  emigration  on  a  scale  that  has  never 
yet  been  witnessed.  This  very  year,  people  and  their  wealth 
are  pouring  into  American  ports.  Skilled  labor  and  inventors 
seek  these  shores,  where  Providence,  in  a  most  lavish  manner, 
has  endowed  the  land  for  the  benefit  of  mankind. 

The  question  of  commercial  union  between  Canada  and 
the  United  States  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  people  of 
Canada,  and  they  should  rise  to  an  adequate  comprehension  of 
its  magnitude.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  present  politics,  nor  does 
it  affect  the  principle  of  protection  or  of  free-trade.  It  does 
not  alone  embrace  the  present  condition  of  the  whole  countrj-, 
but  its  future,  and  that  of  our  children's  children.  Com- 
mercial union  should  not  be  approached  in  a  dogmatic  manner, 
or  in  a  selfish  and  niggardly  spirit.  Conclusions  should  be 
reached  only  after  careful  consideration.  To  decide  upon  a  ques- 
tion such  as  that  of  the  enlargement  of  the  international  relations 


2^2  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

with  a  country  so  vast  as  the  United  States,  is  akin  to  a  decision 
on  the  question  of  predestination,  refjardin^r  which,  as  you  well 
remember,  Charles  Lamb  remarked:  "That  there  was  a  ^ood 
deal  to  be  said  on  both  sides." 

While  the  world  at  larjrc  watches  the  pro^rrcss  of  the 
United  States  with  admiration,  there  is  a  general  disposition  to 
attribute  their  marvellous  growth  to  the  form  of  the  government. 
While  duly  appreciating  the  natural  advantages  which  the 
American  Republic  possesses  for  the  working  out  of  the 
problem  of  self-government  on  the  grandest  scale,  the  general 
disposition  tends  to  attribute  its  material  development  to  the 
genius  of  its  people— because  of  their  self-reliance,  energy  and 
hopefulness,  qualities  not  necessarily  resulting  from  a  republi- 
can form  of  government.  How  much  this  has  had  to  do  with 
it  will  be  found  by  a  comparison  with  Canada,  which,  in  the 
same  period,  under  the  wise  and  liberal  rule  of  a  monarchy, 
has  also  made  substantial  progress. 

The  United  States,  however,  have  one  advantage  over 
Canada,  not  of  a  political  character,  but  which,  if  it  could  be 
secured  by  Canada,  would  insures  her  success  beyond  any  ques- 
tion. This  advantage  consists  in  unrestricted  commercial 
intercourse  between  the  various  States.  The  absence  of  custom- 
houses between  them  has  done  more  to  make  the  United 
States  a  great  and  prosperous  nation  than  did  the  republican 
form  of  government.  The  arteries  of  commerce,  in  a  greater 
degree  than  all  else,  have  served  to  hold  the  people  together, 
enriching  them  with  the  products  and  resources  of  each  other. 
With  a  different  policy,  a  policy  of  isolation  of  the  several 
States,  there  would    have    been    no   progress   in    the  United 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2yj 

States  such  as  the  world  has  witnessed.  Many  of  the  States 
arc  poor  and  sterile,  some  are  sandy  deserts,  while  others  can 
produce  but  one  or  two  {jreat  staples.  Yet,  by  a  commercial 
union  with  each  other,  they  have  all  developed  material 
prosperity.  Mankind  in  no  quarter  of  the  jjlobe  has  greater  cause 
to  rejoice  tnan  the  inhabitants  of  the  poorest  State  in  the  great 
constellation  of  commonwealths.  They  rejoice  in  the  fact 
that  their  commercial  condition  is  so  shaped  as  to  enable  them 
to  participate,  without  let  or  hinderance,  in  the  prosperity  of  the 
more  favored  States.  Through  the  free  interchange  of  the  rich 
products  of  a  vast  continent,  they  all  reap  a  benefit,  and 
share  in  each  other's  prosperity. 

With  these  facts  before  us,  let  us  now  consider  what  Canada 
has  gained  from  her  isolation  from  the  rest  of  the  continent. 
Under  a  different  form  of  government,  with  a  distinctive 
nationality,  a  commercial  condition  has  prevailed  between 
Canada  and  the  United  States,  diametrically  opposite  to  that 
which  has  obtained  between  the  various  States.  Upon  the 
whole,  commercially  speaking,  the  results  have  not  been 
satisfactory  to  Canada.  True  she  has  made  some  progress  ;  but 
this  is  in  great  part  due  to  the  frugality  and  energy  of  her 
people.  It  is  true  that  her  prosperity  has  been,  at  times, 
apparently  as  great  as  that  of  the  neighboring  States,  but  it  is 
equally  true  that  her  progress  has  been  spasmodic,  and  that 
her  public  debt,  her  provincial  and  municipal  obligations,  and, 
above  all,  the  private  indebtedness  of.  her  producers,  have 
assumed  alarming  proportions.  Of  recent  years  an  artificial 
prosperity  has  been  imparted  by  means  of  increased  taxation, 
followed   by    large    expenditures    for    railway    improvements 


2"^^  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

that  have  developed  vast  regions  of  country.     These  outlays 
have  mainly  been  well  directed  ;   they  have,   beyond   doubt, 
brought  within  easy  access  stretches  of  territory  hitherto  so 
isolated   as    to   be    valueless.     This  apparent  increase  of  the 
wealth  of  Canada,  during  the  last  ten  years,  from  the  doubling  of 
railway  facilities,  is  probably  greater  than  that  of  any  one  State 
in  the  Union,  but  the  price  at  which  the  investment  is  carried 
by  the  people  of  Canada   may  well   be  closely  watched.     If 
she  can,  by   an    enlarged    market,    higher   prices,    carry   this 
investment    without    taxing    too    seriously    the    debt-paying 
power  of   her   people,    then   these   large   public   and    private 
outlays  will  bear  profitable  fruit.     But  if  the  heavy  load   of 
debt  and  taxation,  now  weighing  upon  Canada,  is  to  be  borne 
in   the  face  of  declining  prices,  of  a  restricted  market,  and  by 
an  embarrassed  agricultural  community,  it  would  have  been 
better  had  such  investments  never  been  made. 

Large  investments  in  public  works  and  railway  improve- 
ments are  justified  only  by  proportionate  increase  in  trade. 
No  one  thing  would  so  much  contribute  to  the  increa.se  of  traffic 
as  a  complete  interchange  of  products  between  the  two  coun- 
tries. The  building  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  is  one  of  the 
greatest  achievements  of  modern  times,  following  as  it  does 
the  constant  extension  of  the  Grand  Trunk  system.  These 
two  great  arteries,  with  numerous  other  railways,  give  Canada 
means  of  communication  of  the  greatest  magnitude  and  import- 
ance, within  her  own  territory,  as  well  as  with  the  United 
States. 

The  wonderful  system  of  waterways  with   which   nature 
has     blessed     the     Dominion,     has    been     made    .still     more 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2y^ 

available  by  the  expenditures  of  vast  sums  in  order  to 
connect  them  one  with  another.  To-day,  the  Canadian 
farmer  is  paying  the  interest  on  these  investments.  No  greater 
benefit  could  befall  the  Canadian  tax  payer  than  the  stimulation 
of  a  trade  which  would  thoroughly  utilize  these  means  of  com- 
munication. A  complete  interchange  of  commodities  betw  een 
the  United  States  and  Canada,  would  more  than  anything  else, 
contribute  to  that  object.  Any  development  within  the 
Dominion  itself  would  also  stimulate  traffic  and  increase  railway 
tonnage.  These  advantages  would  certainly  be  largely  enhanced 
by  the  removal  of  the  barriers  which  now  prevent  Canadian  com- 
modities from  reaching  the  United  States  markets.  No  one  long- 
ing for  the  creation  of  a  market  could  have  planned  one  better 
suited  for  Canada  than  that  of  the  neighboring  Republic. 

A  long  residence  in  New  York  and  a  daily  contact  with 

the  people  of  the  American  nation,  have  imbued  me  with  the 

belief  that  no  others  are  so  well  prepared  to  become  consumers 

of  Canadian  products.    The  country  is  rich  beyond  comparison  : 

incomes  have  reached  a  point  far  above  those  of   any  other 

people  in  the  world.    There  are  more  individuals  in  New  York 

who  have  $10,000  a  year,  or  $200  a  week,  to  spend  on  their  living 

than  in  any  other   city   of   the    world.     More   are    rolling  in 

wealth  in  the  cities  of  the  East  and  the  West  than  had  ever 

been  thought  possible.     American  consumers  are  in  a  better 

financial  condition  and  are  more  liberal  in  their  expenditures 

than  those  of  any  other  country.    They  want  the  best  products 

of  the  soil,  and   no  region  is  better  calculated  to  furnish  these 

than  the  Province  of  Ontario. 


2'/6  New  Papers  on  Catiadian  History, 

The  discussion  of  commercial  union  has  been  the  occasion 
for  a  great  display  of  cheap  patriotism.  Patriotism,  as  I  under- 
stand it,  consists  in  the  love  of  one's  country  for  the  furtherance 
of  its  best  and  dearest  interests.  True  patriotism  should  not 
obstinately  stand  in  the  way  of  the  country's  best  interests. 
Love  of  British  institutions,  of  British  connection,  cannot  be 
imperilled  by  a  greater  development  of  Canadian  resources. 
No  sentimental  consideration  should  stand  in  the  way  of  a 
policy  which  v/ould  benefit  Canada. 

It    has   been  said  that  in  order  to  arrive  at  unrestricted 

reciprocity  with  the  United  States,  discrimination  would  have 

to    be  enforced  against   English  goods,  and  that   commercial 

union    is   but  a  step   to   annexation.      These  two  objections 

are  the  two  strongest  arguments  brought  against  the  policy 

of   freedom    of    trade    on    the    North    American    continent. 

But  when  we  think  of  the  vast  interests  at  stake,  and  how 

great,  to  the  Dominion,  the  benefits  that  the  measure  would 

bring  forth,  the  interests  of  the  few  manufacturers  in  Great 

Britain,  likely  to  be  affected  by  the  measure,  are  as  a  drop  in 

the  bucket.    It  would  well  repay  Canada  to  guarantee  the  profit 

which  every  exporter  of  British  goods  will  ever  make  for  the 

remainder  of  his  life,  rather  than  that  there  should  be  any 

impediment  to  a  union,  comercially  speaking,  between  the  two 

great  countries  of  this  continent.     How  many  people  do  you 

suppose  would  be  affected   were  Canada  to  admit  American 

manufactures  free,  and  still  impose  a  duty  on  English  goods? 

They  certainly  would  not  exceed  a  thousand  in  number.     It  is 

doubtful  whether  there  are  five  hundred  establishments  in  the 

whole  of  Great  Britain  that  have  a  large  interest  in  the  expor- 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        277 

tation  of  their  wares  to  Canada.   From  a  close  acquaintance  with 
numerous  English  manufacturers,   I   believe  that  they  would 
hail  with    delight    any   movement    by   which   the   Canadians 
would  be   benefitted.     Better  still,   if  it   should  happen   that 
commercial  union  would  so  operate  as  to  determine  a  reduction 
in  the  United  States  tariff— a  very  likely  hypothesis— this  alone 
would  offset  tenfold  the  disadvantages  that  Canada's  discrimi- 
nation against  English  goods  might  entail.     In  other  words,  the 
demand    for    British    goods    throughout    the   continent— if   a 
lowering  of  the  tariff  of  the  two  countries  was  to  take  place- 
would  be  far  greater  than  under  the  existing  hij^-hly  protective 
policy  which  prevails  against   the  goods  of  all  nations,  both 
in  Canada  and  the  United  States. 

All  great  changes  are  apt  to  inflict  some  wrong  in  a  few 
isolated  cases;  but  progress  cannot  be  retarded  by  such 
consideration.  A  great  railway  often  plays  havoc  with  the 
symmetry  of  a  farm,  cutting  it  diagonally  in  two  sometimes. 
The  enforcement  of  a  universal  law  affects  many  an  interest,  but 
that  which  achieves  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number  is 
the  standard  by  which  all  these  matters  should  be  regulated. 
Commercial  union  with  the  United  States  would  confer  the 
greatest  amount  of  good  upon  the  greatest  number,  therefore, 
it  is  difficult  to  consider  with  any  seriousness  the  objections 
urged  against  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  embody  within  a  time-limited  address 
all  that  ought  or  could  be  said  upon  this  vast  question.  If  a  war 
were  necessary  to  secure  the  great  benefits  that  will  be  derived 


2j8  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

from  commercial  union,  such  a  war  would  be  justifiable.  Has  not 
England  many  a  time  spent  millions  of  treasure  and  sacrificed 
thousands  of  lives  for  the  accomplishment  of  an  object  far  less 
important  than  would  be  complete  freedom  of  trade  on  this 
continent  ?  As  to  the  advantages  to  be  derived  by  the  United 
States  from  commercial  union  it  has  been  said  that  they  would 
be  far  greater,  from  a  financial  point  of  view,  than  those  which 
were  secured  by  forcing  the  Southern  States  to  remain  in  the 
Union  ;  which,  as  we  all  know,  was  accomplished  only  through 
a  vast  expenditure  of  blood  and  treasure. 

It  has  just  dawned  upon  the  minds  of  thinking  people  in 
the  United  States,  that  Canada  was  geographically  a  larger 
country  than  their  own  ;  and  possessed  the  potentialities  of  a 
growth  quite  as  complete  as  that  of  their  own.  It  would 
redound  to  the  benefit  of  the  United  States  to  aid  these  by 
every  legitimate  means.  In  a  certain  sense,  Canada  is  a  treasure- 
hou.se  from  which  can  be  drawn  the  commodities  the  United 
States  need  most,  and  which  can  be  made  in  the  highest 
degree  contributory  to  her  progress.  If,  as  Grip  in  its  last 
cartoon  suggests,  the  genius  of  the  age  could  sweep  away  the 
long  line  of  custom-houses  between  the  two  countries,  and,  so 
far  as  trade  is  concerned,  merge  them  into  one,  who  can  calculate 
the  progress  that  would  follow  from  such  a  change  ?  With  a  great 
ready  market,  Canada  would,  within  ten  years,  produce  five 
times  as  much  as  she  now  yields.  If  her  fields  and  farms  were 
worked  to  their  highest  productive  capacity;  if  her  fisheries 
and  her  forests  were  made  to  yield  the  proportion  to  the 
commerce  of  the  continent  which  their  value  bears  to  the 
total  wealth  of  the  world  ;  if  her  mines,  the  giant  power  that  is 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        2yg 

now  asleep,  awoke  to  the  wealth-producing  force  which  they 
possess ;  and  if  her  manufacturers  could  shake  off  the  fears 
which  now  encompass  them,  and  meet  the  incoming  tide  of 
prosperity  and  seek  the  advantages  of  larger  markets,  what 
better  prospects  need  one  desire  for  Canada  ?  Selling  five  or  ten 
times  more  to  the  United  States  than  she  now  does,  Ameri- 
can merchants  in  turn  would  enlarge  their  trade  with  the 
Dominion. 

Of  course,  it  will  be  ojected  that  if  the  Yankee  manufac- 
turer and  merchant  are  let  free  into  Canada  they  will  crowd  out 
the  Canadian  manufacturer  and  merchant.  Well,  all  that  need 
be  said  in  reply  is :  that  if  the  Canadians  cannot  hold  their  own 
when  all  the  conditions  are  equal,  they  don't  deserve  the  name 
of  Canadians.  It  is  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  that  country 
that  such  a  disparaging  assertion  has  been  made.  If  the  pluck 
and  spirit  which  conquered  Canada  has  deserted  it,  it  is  time  vvc 
should  introduce  some  new  blood  in  the  country. 

The  talk  that  any  class  of  Canadians  cannot  hold  their  own 
against  any  other  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth  finds  no  echo 
in  the  minds  of  our  fellow-countrymen  who  have  already  found 
a  home  in  the  United  States.  They  experience  no  difficulty  in 
holding  their  own,  side  by  side,  with  the  Yankees.  As  mechanics, 
skilled  laborers,  railroad  men,  or  as  occupants  of  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility,  we  find  everywhere  the  native  born 
Canadian.  Always  respected,  always  self-respecting,  sometimes 
somewhat  assertive,  always  self-reliant  and  abundantly  able 
to  hold  his  own  in  a  fair  field.  Have  we  ever  realized  the 
enormous  number  of  Canadains  who  have  already  sought  the 
benefits  of  commercial  union  with  the  United  States.     It  i.s 


28o  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

doubtful  if,  in  the  history  of  any  country— especially  a  young 
country— so  large  a  proportion  of  the  total  population  has, 
in  so  short  a  time,  sought  a  home  outside  of  it.  The  census 
shows  the  enormous  increase  of  the  Canadian  element  in  the 
American  Republic : 

Census  of  i860— Canadians  in  United  States,  249,970 
Census  of  1870—  "  "  "  "  493,464 
Census  of  1880 —  "  "  "  "  7 '7, '57 
Census  of  1885— (  estimated  ) 950,000 

It  appears  that  to  this  date,  fully  one  million  of  Canadians 
have  taken  up  their  abode  in  the  United  States  A  million  out 
of  a  population  of  five  millions  !  What  a  tremendous  proportion 
this  is  for  a  country  which  is  making  the  most  desperate  efforts 
to  attract  immigration  within  her  borders !  Surely  there  is 
something  wrong  in  all  this,  especially  when  we  recall  the  enor- 
mous expenditures  made,  the  heavy  burdens  imposed,  to  find 
the  most  promising  portion  of  the  population  seeking  a  home 
and  a  future  elsewhere.  If  commercial  union  did  accomplish 
nothing  better  than  to  keep  our  young  men  at  home,  that 
of  itself  would  be  a  great  advantage. 

Not  a  mother  but  dreads  the  day  when  her  boy,  her 
precious  boy,  will  look  with  longing  eyes  across  the  border. 
What  is  the  future  on  the  farm  for  the  little  blue-eyed  baby 
that  looks  up  into  its  mother's  face  ?  If  the  little  one  is  a  boy 
he  M'ill  at  best  inherit  his  father's  fate.  The  mother  knows  how 
hard  the  father  has  had  to  work  to  earn  a  livelihood  ;  she  also 
knows  what  frugality  must  be  practiced  to  enable  them  to  leave 
the  boy   any  patrimony.     And  the  dear  mother  knows  that 


Art,    Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        281 

while  such  a  struggle  for  existence  impends, theattractionsacross 
the  border  are  forever  tempting  her  beloved  son  from  her  side. 

Hut,  if  the  little  one  in  her  lap  is  a  girl ;  if  the  clear  blue  eyes 
look  inquiringly  into  the  mother's  anxious  face,  what  fate  does 
she  read  there?  If  her  brothers  and  half  the  boys  of  the 
neighborhood  are  leaving  the  country,  how  hopeless  is  her  life 
likely  to  be?  The  opportunities  for  a  useful  womanhood  are 
lessened.  The  sweet  love  that  brightens  life  may  never 
come  to  her.  The  delicious  odors  of  the  new-mown  hay,  of 
the  sweet-scented  clover,  of  the  forest  flowers,  may  never  be 
issociated  with  that  most  joyous  part  of  life,  when  love  and 
betrothal  throws  a  halo  over  all  the  world.  The  budding 
womanhood  will  wait  in  vain  for  the  companionship  that 
should  complete  her  life's  joys. 

With  that  far-seeing  vision  which  is  innate  to  a  mother's 
love,  she  cannot  but  take  a  deep  interest  in  any  measure  calcu- 
lated to  keep  her  boys  at  home,  in  any  measure  that  would 
secure  the  happiness  and  the  future  of  the  daughters  of  this 
promising  land. 

No  greater  calamity  can  happen  to  a  community  than  the 
loss  of  its  young  men.  The  statesmanship  that  makes  Canada 
less  attractive  to  them  than  the  neighboring  country  is 
a  failure,  no  matter  how  brilliant  it  may  be  in  other  respects. 
Nothing  would  so  much  tend  to  keep  young  Canadians  at  home 
than  unrestricted   reciprocity  with  the  United  States. 

Free  American  markets  for  Canadian  products  would  bring 
such  a  reward  that  contentment  and  prosperity  would  inevit- 
ably follow. 


Tjfe  ClufHouje^ 


O  the  enterprise  and  patriotism  of  the 
Canadians  resident  in  New  York 
belonjj  the  credit  for  havinjj  estab- 
lished a  Club  which  to-day  proud- 
ly rears  its  head  among  the  great 
metropolitan  social  institutions,  and 
whose  fame  has  extended  through- 
out the  broad  Dominion  of  Canada. 
It  has  become,  under  wise  and 
liberal  management,  a  great  national  institution  for  the  further- 
ance of  a  more  complete  knowledge  of  the  afTairs  of  the 
Dominion  and  for  the  encouragement  of  her  art,  literature 
and  commerce.  It  has  knit  together,  in  ties  of  closer  friendship, 
the  many  Canadians  who  have  found  their  home  in  the  great 
metropolis  of  the  United  States.     It  has  become  the  rendez- 


2S4  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

vous  of  those  of  our  countrymen  who  visit  New  York.  It  is 
the  neutral  ground  whereon  prominent  statesmen  of  all  shades 
of  political  complexion  have  discussed  Canada's  great  future. 
The  Club  was  founded  April  30th,  1885,  and  its  first  home 
was  at  No.  3  North  Washington  Square.  It  was  formally 
opened  on  Dominion  Day,  upon  which  occasion  its  worthy 
President  delivered  a  memorable  speech  from  which  I  beg 
leave  to  make  some  extracts : 

"  When  it  was  first  suggested  that  a  club,  distinctively  Ca- 
nadian,  should   be   formed    in    New    York,  there   were   some 
who    felt   that    the   attempt    might    not    be    attended    with 
complete     success,    and    that    the    objects    which    could    be 
accomplished  were  both  vague  and  un^-^-^iin.   It  was  thought— 
inasmuch   as    there    existed    no    organization    of    a    similar 
kind  in  this  city— that   a  combination  of  interests  peculiarly 
Canadian  would  be  a  vain  attempt.     There  was  no  Texas  or 
Missouri  Club,  no  Ohio  or  Pennsylvania  Society;  and,  except 
the  New   England   Society,  which  only  dined  together  once 
a   year,  there  was  no  organization  distinctively   geographical 
and    having    for    its    sole   object    the   interests    of    residents 
in     New     York    from     any     special     section.     Nevertheless, 
finding    that     there    were    about    six    thousand     Canadians 
in    New    York,    and    that   a   very  large   proportion    of   these 
were  almost  unknown    to  each  other,  it  was  decided    that   a 
club  which   would    bring   them    together,  could    not    be   but 
productive  of  most  beneficial  results,  and   that  a   mission  of 
practical  usefulness  might  be  worked   out   of   the  idea,  that 
would  be  helpful  to  all  coming  within  its  influence. 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  arid  Commerce.        28 § 

"Accordingly,  a  meeting  of  the  Canadian  residents  in  New 
York  was  called  at  the  Hotel  Brunswick.  The  attendance 
was  surprisingly  large,  and  representative  in  character.  The 
first  and  subsequent  meetings  indicated  an  earnestness  and 
enthusiasm  which  was  a  revelation  to  those  who  had  origin- 
ated the  idea. 

"  It  is  clear  to  all  who  are  familiar  with  the  position  of 
Canadians  in  this  city,  that  they  are  ivorkcrs.  They  come 
here  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  making  a  fortune,  and  of 
becoming  useful  residents  of  the  great  city  that  so  heartily 
welcomes  them. 
*  ^t  ■};•  v^  *  -x-  #  #  4^ 

"  This  organization  has  for  its  purpose  the  promotion  of  our 
common  interests,  the  improvement  of  our  social  relations,  the 
cultivation  of  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  each  other  ;  in 
short,  it  is  called  to  guide  and  direct  those  who  hereafter  may 
join  us,    in  the  pursuit  of  a  career  of  usefulness. 

"  I  would  commit  a  great  injustice,  did  I  fail  to  recognize 
the  hearty  spirit  of  good-will  with  which,  in  this  country, 
all  efforts  for  efificient  service  are  welcomed.  The  treat- 
ment of  Canadians  by  Americans,  so  far  as  my  observation 
extends,  has  been  characterized  by  the  greatest  possible 
liberality  and  appreciation.  The  success  of  Canadians  in  the 
United  States  is  the  best  evidence  of  it.  Another  indication 
of  this  prevailing  sentiment  is  to  be  found  in  the  words  of 
encouragement  which  have  been  uttered  by  the  press  and  lead- 
ing men  with  whom  we  have  come  in  contact. 

"  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Canadian  Club  will  foster 
intimate  intercourse  between  former  residents  of  Canada  and 


286  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

visiting  Canadians  as  it    will    furnish    an    effective    means   of 
making  them  better  acquainted  with  each  other. 

"  It  will  unquestionably  bring  together  men  who  would 
otherwise  have  proceeded  in  their  respective  paths  without 
benefitting  from  an  experience  which  is  to  be  derived  only  by 
a  closer  acquaintance.  Suggestions  and  ideas,  which  would 
otherwise  have  lain  dormant,  will  be  given  shape  and  life. 
The  formation  of  committees,  whose  special  duties  shall  be  to 
publish  facts  of  material  interest  upon  all  matters  of  import- 
ance to  Canada,  together  with  a  library  of  reference,  will 
result  in  diffusing  reliable  information  for  the  benefit  of 
journalists  in  this  country,  l^ublic  men,  members  of  Congress, 
or  others  who  desire  to  intelligently  discuss  subjects  relating 
to  Canada,  will  find  our  Club  the  fountain-head  of  informa- 
tion. 
#  *  *  »  *  *  «  #  * 

"The  walls  of  this  beautiful  room,  should  be  devoted, 
during  the  autumn  months,  to  an  exhibition  of  the  works  of 
Canadian  artists.  If  Canadian  art  could  but  have  a  chance  to 
impress  itself  favorably  upon  the  wealthy  picture  buyers  of  this 
city,  and  the  names  of  Canadian  artists  could  be  made  as 
familiar  in  New  York  as  they  are  in  Toronto,  Montreal  and 
Ottawa,  the  Club  would  have  achieved  a  purpose  of  the  noblest 
and  most  beneficial  kind. 

"  The  pleasure  which  such  an  exhibition  of  Canadian  art 
would  afford  Canadians,  the  gratification  which  the  artists 
would  experience  in  being  thoroughly  appreciated  by  their 
fellow  countrymen  in  a  foreign  city,  besides  its  refining  influence 
ought  to  make  the  attempt  worthy  of  the  effort.     There  are 


Art,  Science,  Literature,  and  Commerce.        j8j 

other  exhibitions  of  Canadian  artistic  skill  which  the  Chib  mi^ht 
well  encourage.  They  might  take  the  form  of  collections  from 
the  Societies  of  Decorative  Art,  of  woman's  work,  which,  in 
Toronto  and  Montreal,  have  of  late  years  been  so  successful. 


y\^l^(epton/^oofn. 


Embroidery,  fancy  work,  sketches,  and  all  those  delightful 
conceits  of  woman's  leisure  and  woman's  love,  would  exemplify 
the  refinement,  skill  and  taste  of  Canadian  women. 

"With    time,    still    larger   conceptions   of   the   duties   of 


288  New  Papers  on  Canadian  History, 

the  Club,  will  suggest  themselves.  It  is  sufficient  for  me 
to  say  with  what  pleasurable  anticipation  we  may  look 
to  an  enjoyment  of  each  other's  society,  and  to  the  conviction 
that  the  usefulness  of  our  lives,  the  completeness  and  faithful- 
ness of  our  services,  and  the  growth  within  us  of  all  that  is 
manly  and  best,  will  be  promoted  by  such  an  association. 
Mutual  forbearance,  hearty  appreciation,  and  a  better  knowl- 
edge of  each  other,  may  confidently  be  expected  to  result 
from  the  formation  of  the  Canadian  Club." 

How  fully  the  plans  for  the  Club's  usefulness,  so  well  out- 
lined by  the  President,  have  been  realized,  this  book  in  part 
bears  testimony. 

The  present  home  of  the  Canadian  Club  is  at  12  East  29th 
Street. 

The  house  is  one  of  the  few  ornate  buildings  in  this  part 
of  New  York.  Remodelled  for  the  Saint  Nicholas  Club, 
which  occupied  it  for  the  several  years  previous  to  its 
removal  to  Fifth  Avenue,  it  was  then  leased  to  the  Canadian 
Club  for  a  term  of  years,  and  was  completely  overhauled  and 
refurnished. 

The  Canadian  Club  has  a  membership  of  four  hundred, 
which  is  steadily  increasing.  Its  aims  have  been  high,  and 
probably,  outside  of  the  Lotos,  no  other  club  has  given  so 
brilliant  a  series  of  literary  entertainments.  Many  distinguished 
American  and  Canadian  men  of  letters  and  science  have  read 
papers  from  its  rostrum.  Its  art  exhibitions  have  been 
encouraged  by  the  contributions  of  almost  all  prominent 
American  and  Canadian  artists. 


CANADIAN  CLUB. 


Officers,   1887. 


PRESIDENT  • 

ERASTUS   WIMAN. 

vice-presidents ; 
Sir  Roderick  W.  Cameron. 


John  Paton, 

Geo.  M.  Fairchili),  Jr. 


Thos.  W.  (Iriffith, 
Thos.  H.  Allen,  M.  D. 


secre  tary  a  nd  trea  surer  . 
Jackson  Wallace. 

102  Broadway,  N.  Y. 

a  ssrs  ta  n  t  secre  tarv  ; 
Frederick  G.  Gillespie. 

board  of  trustees: 
Thos.  W.  Griffith,  '     John  W.  Lovell, 

Frank  Ferguson,  M.   D.  H.  Holton  Wood, 

Stillman  F.  Kneeland. 


HOUSE  COMMITTEE; 

Jackson  Wallace,  Chairman, 
Thomas  W.  Griffith, 
Frank  Ferguson,  M.  D. 
Thomson  Willing, 
John  R.  Steven, 
Wm.  J.  Wei.don, 


(iEO.  E.   Duggan,  Secretary, 
R.  B.  Cummings,  M.  I). 
Wm.  J.  Palmer, 
Franklin  C.  Fry,  M.  1). 
James  McNider, 
James  S.  Dumaresq, 


Charles  Walker. 

membership  committee: 

W.  Allaire  'ammw, Chairman,     ;      Eugene  M.  Cole,  Secretary. 
W.  H.  WiLFORD,  |-     F.  L.  R.  Secord, 

Charles  G.  S.  Reed,  I     James  McNider, 

Charles   Walker. 


Art,  Science,  Literattirc,  and  C\ 


o  » inter ce. 


28g 


The  Club  is  a  great  boon  to  Canadians  visiting  New  York, 
and  that  they  thoroughly  enjoy  and  appreciate  its  benefits 
the  large  non-resident  membership  roll  attests. 


G.  M.  r^AIRCHILD.  Jr. 


M 

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n&llwiy 


